The Contentious Heart
by elle6778
Summary: This is just another infiltration mission, right? Granted, Sakura's target is the Akatsuki, but there is still no reason for this conflict in her heart. Little does she know that Itachi is just as disconcerted. ItaSaku. Spoilers up to Manga Chapter 353.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

Title: The Contentious Heart

Author: elle6778  
Rating: T/PG-13  
Genre: Mainly action/adventure, with romance building up over the course of the story.

Summary: It is just another mission, right? But as it progresses, Sakura simply cannot dismiss the growing conflict within her own heart. Little does she know that Itachi is just as perplexed. Itachi-Sakura. Spoilers up to chapter 353 in the manga.

Spoilers: The story follows the canon storyline until the part shortly after the Sasuke vs. Orochimaru battle (approximately chapter 353). After that, I took liberties with the facts, so apologies if it diverges from canon.

A/N: Hi everyone! This is my first venture into the big, scary world of Naruto fanfiction. I'm sticking my toe in just to test the waters, so to speak, and I hope that you will be kind. This story would be long, maybe about 20 chapters because I can't seem to manage short stories. Anyway, I hope you'll like it. All that said, let's move on to the story. Please enjoy…

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 1**

It was a normal day in the Hidden Village of Leaf, where the white clouds traveled sluggishly across the blue sky overhead, and the sunlight bathing the buildings in a comforting glow. Urged by the light breeze, stray leafs danced merrily in the air, giving the impression of a lighthearted atmosphere.

Leaning against the large window, a sober Tsunade observed the activities of the shinobi and the villagers down below. Everyone was going about their daily tasks, blissfully unaware of the issues plaguing the minds of those in the Hokage Tower.

Sighing inwardly, she turned to face the two shinobi before her.

Kakashi was leaning against the wall, his nose buried in the latest issue of Jiraiya's Icha Icha series. Shikamaru was standing not far away, his features set in his usual expression of mild boredom. But Tsunade knew that his looks were deceiving, for Shikamaru was now one of her most trusted strategist. Although it had taken him some time to settle into his role, the jounin had proven himself to be reliable when the situation called for it.

Such as the current situation with the Akatsuki.

In the recent months, Konoha had grown increasingly concerned about Akatsuki's activities.

Or lack thereof.

Having said that, there had been the occasional bursts of activities, like the one involving the eight-tailed bijuu, the hachibi. Rumor has it that one Akatsuki member had been destroyed during the capture attempt. But since then, the organization had gone underground. Its silence could mean nothing but trouble ahead.

The fact that they were after the hachibi meant that they would soon come for Naruto. And although he aware of the situation, Naruto being Naruto, had adamantly refused to remain within the relative safely of Konoha. Of course he still tried to carry out as many external missions that he could get his hands on, Tsunade thought darkly.

Anything to escape Konoha, in fact. Not that she really blamed the blonde. No one liked to be poked and prodded on a regular basis, especially considering that Sakura was the one doing it. Each time they had their sessions, the entire hospital building shook with Naruto's shrieks of protests amidst Sakura's threatening bellows.

But as traumatizing as it was for Naruto, those tests had been necessary.

Following Gaara's kidnapping, they had spent the last one year researching the connection between the bijuu and its host, the jinchuuriki. The objective was to attempt to separate the two entities without killing the jinchuuriki. If they managed to remove the nine-tailed demon fox from Naruto, then not only the danger to the blonde would cease, they could also attempt to destroy the kyuubi to prevent the Akatsuki from attaining their goal.

There was a problem with the idea, though. Even with all those tests on Naruto, all they had gleaned so far was only theoretical. And although it should work in theory, no one was willing to subject Naruto to something untested.

Which brought them back to square one. As long as the kyuubi remained in Naruto, Akatsuki would come to them sooner or later, and there was really nothing they could do to stop it.

Shikamaru had pointed out more than once that their main problem was the lack of information concerning Akatsuki, therefore information gathering should be their priority. This was the third time in just as many months that Tsunade found herself facing Shikamaru and Kakashi to discuss the issue and she hoped that the strategist had managed to think of something.

Deciding that it was time to continue the meeting, Tsunade settled on the chair behind her desk.

"Shikamaru. Have you thought of a plan?" she asked.

The corner of Shikamaru's eyes dipped and he sighed. "Yeah. It's troublesome, but the only way to do this is to infiltrate Akatsuki as a spy."

Lowering his book slightly, Kakashi looked at younger shinobi out of the corner of his eyes. "It's not going to be easy. They are not that stupid. Whoever we send would end up dead."

Shikamaru nodded once. "That's true. But their numbers are dropping. There are only six of them left now. Sooner or later, they would need to fill in the gaps."

Propping her chin on her clasped hands, Tsunade remarked, "In that case, we need to get Akatsuki to 'recruit' this spy. And for that to happen, this person needs to be a powerful missing-nin, someone Akatsuki would find useful."

"Well, one of our missing-nins is already in Akatsuki," Kakashi stated wryly.

Tsunade shot him an irritated look. "I'm sure Uchiha Itachi would betray them. Unfortunately, I don't think any of our missing-nins would be willing to help us."

Head bowed, Shikamaru glanced down at his hands thoughtfully. Tsunade and Kakashi turned to him questioningly, but Shikamaru remained unmoving, his brows furrowed in deep thought. He was obviously considering something.

Finally, the dark-haired jounin lifted his head. "We would just have to create our own missing-nin."

Kakashi raised a brow. "You mean…"

"Prepare one of our shinobi to become a missing-nin and wait for Akatsuki to recruit him?"

Shikamaru nodded. "It's troublesome, but it's the best way. And no one must know the truth because we don't know if there are any Akatsuki spies in Konoha. Whoever this person is, we have to make sure that he plays his part well. The whole of Konoha and the rest of the world need to be convinced that this person is really a missing-nin, which means that this mission might take months, even years."

"In addition to that, this person needs to be powerful enough to catch Akatsuki's eyes," Tsunade said quietly. "This would not be easy. Who fits this profile?"

"It can't be someone too well known," Shikamaru pointed out. "Someone like Kakashi wouldn't work because it would be too suspicious. Maybe those who just passed the jounin exams recently."

"How about Neji?" Kakashi suggested. "He's ANBU now and more than qualified."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "Neji is a good candidate. He's got a limit bloodline and he's powerful."

"He's also the Hyuuga heir," Tsunade interjected darkly. "Hiashi will not agree to this."

Kakashi's exposed eye widened. "I thought Hinata was the heiress?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Not since last week. Hinata convinced her father that Neji is more qualified. She doesn't want the position."

Shikamaru slumped. "That's too bad. He would have been perfect."

Raising his hand to scratch the back of his silver head, Kakashi chuckled, "We're out of candidates so soon?"

"We have other options." Tsunade pinned her eyes on Shikamaru. "Your entire Academy group is outstanding, most of them now jounin. And all of them are loyal to Konoha… except Sasuke."

Kakashi averted his face. "That was my mistake."

"No," Tsunade protested firmly. "His desire for revenge is not your fault."

"Back to our Academy group, Hokage-sama," Shikamaru interjected. "How about Shino?"

"Shino is good, but he's not in Akatsuki's league," Kakashi pointed out. "And neither are Kiba or Chouji. Naruto, of course, is out of the question, since he's being hunted."

"You forgot Sakura," Tsunade suggested, her brows drawn into a deep frown. "She is strong. Strong enough to take down Sasori a year ago."

Silence greeted her.

"You want to make Sakura a missing-nin?" Kakashi asked tersely. "Are you sure about this?"

Before Tsunade could say anything, Shikamaru nodded. "It's not a bad idea. Sakura fits the profile, in a way. She's strong jounin, and her medical skills are exceptional. But there's no motive, no reason for her to chose to be a missing-nin."

After a while, Kakashi muttered, "Sasuke."

"I doubt she'll go as far as that to get Sasuke back. Besides, she got over that boy long ago," Tsunade pointed out.

"Well, no one knows except her closest friends."

Sighing, Shikamaru ran a hand over his head. "I guess we could work on the motive angle. It would take some time, but we need a long-term plan, otherwise it's going to look suspicious if she just runs away. And once she becomes a missing-nin, she needs to get herself noticed by the Akatsuki. Since Akatsuki wouldn't trust anyone so easily, they need to approach her instead of the other way round."

"I understand what you're saying, but how are we supposed to achieve that?"

Shikamaru's eyes gleamed suddenly as something came together in his mind. "First of all, the most important thing is to keep this plan between us three and Sakura. And no one else."

"You have a plan?" Tsunade asked.

A small smile tilted the corner of Shikamaru's lips, and then he leaned forward.

* * *

Her senses on full alert, Sakura's jade green eyes flicked from side to side as she sprung away from one tree branch to another. Then she stopped abruptly. Stealthily, she swung herself upwards until she reached a much higher branch to hide behind the thick foliage. 

A normal person would not have sensed anything, but she clearly detected the presence of four shinobi some distance away. Based on their level of chakra and their speed, these pursuers were most likely ANBU hunter-nins. Were they Leaf shinobi, or perhaps Sound shinobi? Considering her current location, it could only be either. Lips twitching wryly, she wondered if she knew any of them by name.

It did not matter. What mattered most was to make sure that she did not get caught, or this entire mission would be foiled even before it began properly. And especially after the hell she had gone through for the past one and a half year.

Silently, she moved away from her position, streaking away from her pursuers as memories filled her mind.

Shortly after she had passed her jounin examinations, she was summoned to Tsunade's office. Kakashi and Shikamaru were there when she had arrived. It was then that they had sat her down to brief her on a certain solo long-term mission. It was an understatement to say that she had been shocked when she digested the mission brief.

But when everything had sank in, she saw the sense in it, even though she realized then that it would probably be the hardest mission to accomplish, ever. For someone who had spent her early teens feeling weaker than her teammates, Sakura could not help but feel gratified at the confidence Tsunade, Kakashi and Shikamaru had shown in her abilities to pull this mission off successfully.

Ultimately, it had been her decision. Tsunade and the rest did not force her into it. They had given her the option to decline. But she had accepted for the sake of Naruto's safety, for the sake of Konoha's safety. Even though it meant that she had to give up everything she had known her entire life. For there was no turning back once she accepted. She would forever be branded a traitor, a missing-nin.

She had taken a week to consider the implications carefully.

Then she had accepted.

Once Tsunade, Kakashi and Shikamaru were convinced that she was fully prepared to go through with it, her training had escalated at an incredible rate. No one else knew about the mission, so they had to come up with some sort of excuse. She had finally settled on the ANBU angle, stating that she wanted to improve enough to join the ranks of the elite squad. No one had questioned her further, even though they were surprised by her single-mindedness. She had only received compliments after compliments on her progress from everyone she had trained under, and that included Yamato, Gai, Kurenai and several other ANBU captains.

Sakura paused in her thoughts as she scanned her surroundings. Her four pursuers had lost her trail. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips, thankful that she did not have to engage them in battle. It was odd, though, how easily she had lost them. Idly, she wondered if she was really that skilled, or they were just incompetent.

Still, knowing that she could not afford to relax fully, Sakura continued onwards, heading towards the Country of Grass as she resumed her thoughts. She took a deep breath as her hand wandered down her body to a bump at her waist.

The scroll.

Her lips creased in a humorless smile. All she had done to set this in motion was to break into the secured area to steal the forbidden Scroll of Seals, which had been stolen once before by Naruto. Kage Bunshin was not the only jutsu in there, as Sakura had found out since she took it. There were many other useful but dangerous jutsus in there. She had learnt some of them during her intensive training, and the rest she had learnt by heart on her own before she sealed the scroll. She might be a missing-nin now, but she had no intention of allowing outsiders to get their hands on Konoha's secrets. Anyway, it was not as if the knowledge would be lost since Tsunade had made a copy of the scroll.

She could have just left undetected that night, but that would have defeated the purpose, wouldn't it? So she had made a little noise. Just a _little_ noise, and in a blink of an eye, she had been surrounded by a team of shinobi on patrol. Ironically, the team on patrol that day included Ino and Chouji, as well as two chuunins. Shikamaru had been conveniently 'ill' that day.

Sakura bit her lips as she recalled the look in Ino's and Chouji's eyes. She had recognized the look.

It was betrayal.

Until now, she still remembered every words of their encounter.

"_Sakura?" Ino gasped, her flickering eyes displaying her confusion. "What's going on?"  
_

_She simply stared at her blonde friend wordlessly. _

_Chouji frowned. "Why are you holding the Scroll of Seals, Sakura?"_

_She forced herself to quirk a brow before she replied, "I think it's obvious, Chouji."_

_Ino sucked in a sharp breath. "You're stealing it?" she sounded bewildered. "Sakura, do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? Why are you trying to steal it?" _

_Shaking her head, Sakura allowed a small, genuinely sad smile to cross her lips. "You won't understand."_

_Ino's voice was grew more desperate as she went on. "You're willing to throw away everything just because of this scroll? I don't understand. You're doing so well, and you're heading straight for ANBU. So why are you doing this? This is wrong!"_

"_Is it wrong to want to grow stronger?" Sakura asked quietly. "Is it wrong to want something different?"_

_Eyes widening in disbelief, Ino simply stared at her. _

_Sakura took a few steps away from them. All she had to do now was to escape from Konoha. Hopefully she would not have to fight her friends. _

_Chouji's frown deepened as he followed her. "Sakura… I don't want to fight you, so drop the scroll and we'll talk about this, alright? Things can't be as bad as that."_

_She shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, guys. But I've to do this."_

_With that, she sprung away. _

_Almost immediately, they gave chase. Knowing that she would have no option but to fight, she finally stopped and spun around in a fight stance. _

Sakura grimaced as she recalled the furious battle which ensued. A number of conveniently empty buildings had been destroyed during the fight, which was supposed to lend some authenticity to the entire plan. Ino and the two chuunins had not been difficult to defeat. And although he was stronger, Chouji's level were nowhere near hers, especially after her intensive training. Still, even though she had held back, each blow was like a blow to her own heart.

Yes, the battles against her friends were the hardest things she had experienced during this mission. Fighting those she had grown up with, while trying her best not to harm them fatally had been gut wrenching. Ino and Chouji were not the only ones. Ever since she had left with the scroll almost one and a half years ago, she had fought squads which included Neji, Tenten, Lee, Shikamaru, Kakashi, Sai and even Naruto.

Sakura swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat as she recalled her first encounter with Naruto a few weeks after her escape. Kakashi and Sai had also been present at that time.

She was close to the border to Wind Country when they caught up with her.

"_Why, Sakura? Why did you leave us?" Naruto asked, his voice shaking uncontrollably. "We are a team."_

"_I'm really sorry, Naruto. This is just something I have to do," she said quietly, not able to bring herself to say a single harsh word to her friend. "Please, I really don't want to fight with you."_

"_Is this because of Sasuke? Are you trying to find Sasuke by yourself?" Naruto asked plaintively, his brilliant blue eyes shimmering. "If it's Sasuke, we can go look for him together. Just come back, Sakura!"_

_She could not lie to her best friend, so she remained silent. He would just have to make his own conclusions. Her eyes rose to meet Kakashi's briefly, but the Copy-nin's expression betrayed nothing. It was as if Kakashi did not know why she was running away. She suppressed her admiration at his flawless acting abilities. _

_Noticing a movement, her eyes snapped towards Sai. Extracting his equipment from his pack, the ANBU Root member inked something on a scroll and then released the jutsu. A black snake instantly shot towards her. _

_Reacting quickly, Sakura flicked a pair of shuriken towards it, pinning it against a tree. Then the snake melted into a harmless puddle of ink on the forest floor. "Is that all you can do, Sai?" she asked levelly. _

_Sai regarded her wordlessly, no doubt plotting his next move. _

_Naruto tried to dart towards her, only to be restrained by Kakashi. The Copy-nin's voice was stony when he said, "Do you realize what you're doing, Sakura? You're a missing-nin now, and you'll be hunted until you're captured. Come back with us and we'll talk to Tsunade on your behalf." _

_An act. It was all an act. But it needed to be convincing. Clenching her fists, she took a step backward away from them. "Kakashi… sensei. Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I prefer to be out here."_

_Naruto's head snapped up and he stared at her in disbelief._

"_Sakura, you cannot win against all three of us," Sai pointed out blandly. "Give yourself up now."_

"_No."_

"_Damn it, Sakura! You're being stupid," Naruto yelled. _

_Sakura clenched her fists. "Just let me go, alright," she gritted out. _

_Right before her, Naruto's eyes hardened in determination. His hands clenched into tight fists as he took a step towards her. "I will not let you leave like Sasuke!" he hissed. "Even if I have to beat you unconscious."_

_Alarmed, she sucked in a sharp breath. Naruto was dangerous when he was in this mood. She had to run, because there was no way she could make herself harm Naruto. Provided of course, that she could even manage to lay a single finger on him. As skilled as she was, she was not convinced that she could defeat him with his kyuubi-enhanced strength. _

_One of the ANBU captains had taught her something, just in case she ever found herself outnumbered. And she knew that now was the right time to use it. Stealthily reaching into her pouch, Sakura's fingers closed around a small object and pulled it out. _

_Naruto continued to advance towards her, his expression uncompromising. His voice was hard when he spoke. "I don't want to do this, Sakura, but you're leaving me with no choice."_

_Sakura gulped as Naruto's eyes bled red. _

_Swiftly, she performed a substitution jutsu. _

_While Naruto attacked the substitute, Sakura opened her palm and quickly activated another jutsu over the small round casing. She had sealed some of her spare chakra within those insects inside the casing a few days ago, and they should last long enough to give her a good head start. _

_Leaving the substitute log behind, Naruto darted towards her. By that time, her latest jutsu had already taken effect, leaving Naruto to face three replicas of her. Unlike the usual bunshin, these would continue to fight until her chakra ran out. _

_Knowing that they would die soon, Sakura mouthed a silent apology to the insects before she disappeared away from the scene. _

A deep rumble in the distance broke into her thoughts. Sakura immediately grimaced at the sound.

The rain started to pour down shortly after she crossed the border into a minor country lodged between Waterfall and Field Country. Since it was a country without its own shinobi, she would be able to relax a little before moving on to find the next job.

She cursed under her breath, wondering how much longer she could carry on like this. This entire mission was basically an extended test of survival. But at least she did not have to worry about money anymore.

Not knowing how long it would take, Tsunade had given her enough funds to start with and had hidden some in various locations for emergency. But the money was not meant to last her that long anyway as they knew that she had to take jobs to build a name for herself.

She had taken small jobs at first, and then bigger and more dangerous ones as her reputation grew. Unlike those missions she had taken part in during her Team 7 and Team Kakashi days, her current jobs were anything but legal. She tended to avoid assassination missions, instead taking on those which were relatively high profile and paid well. The pay from one she had just completed just a few days ago would last her a few months alone. In fact, she was so obscenely well-financed that she probably did not need to work for more than a year, if not for the fact that she needed to continue building her reputation.

Her heart twisted slightly when she recalled all the blood she had spilled in Lightning Country a few days ago. No one had died in her attack, but many had come close to it when she single-handedly destroyed the daimyou's stronghold and took off with their prized jewels.

No matter what, she always tried to make sure that no one died. It did not mean that she always succeeded, though.

Her thoughts receded when the village she was seeking finally came into view. Sakura's lips stretched into a smile. Uncaring that she was dripping wet from the rain, she made her way to the nearest inn and walked in. It was a simple establishment, most likely run by a family. It did not look like one which would be frequented by her kind, she decided with relief. She would stay there and rest for a couple of days.

The elderly man looked up from the reception desk when she called out a greeting.

"Do you have a room?" Sakura asked with a smile.

Returning her smile, the elderly man nodded. "Single?"

"Yes."

Soon she was led to a small but clean room and left there after being bidden a goodnight by the elderly man. Sliding the door shut behind her, her eyes landed briefly on the thick futon before she took in the rest of the simple furnishings. There was a small table at the corner with a cushion by its side. The shoji screen at the end of the room most likely led to a small bathroom.

Pleased with her room, Sakura dropped her pack and stretched. Quickly extracting the items she needed from her pack, she undressed and then made her way to the bathroom to clean up the grime from her travel. Washing her clothes quickly, she hung them on the rail to dry. She dressed herself in a fresh set of clothes which was similar to what she had worn back in Konoha, only this time, the attire was black and grey.

When she walked back out of the bathroom, her eyes landed on the hitai-ate on top of her pack. Kneeling down, a suddenly surge of sadness welled up inside her when she traced her finger along the slash cutting across the Konoha Leaf emblem. She had done it herself right after she had escaped intact from her second encounter with Naruto and Sai.

It was fitting, though.

Because she, Haruno Sakura, an eighteen-year-old ex-Leaf-jounin, was now a missing-nin.

Shaking away the gloomy thought, she tied the hitai-ate over her head like she had always done. This was her mission, and she was doing this for the sake of her country and her friends, no matter how much it hurts sometimes, and how lonely she was for her friends' company. It did not matter that no one knew about it except Tsunade, Kakashi and Shikamaru. All that was important was that she made it into Akatsuki.

Her expression turned into a scowl. Shikamaru had warned her that this would take a long time because it was not easy to set up such a thing. That it needed to be real for Akatsuki to be convinced. But what else did she have to do to catch their attention? She was already in the Bingo books of all major and minor shinobi countries. Not to mention that nowadays, her reputation always preceded her when she took jobs.

It had been more than a year, damn it!

What if Akatsuki did not take the bait?

How long more did she have to live like this?

As soon as the thought occurred to her, Sakura was struck with the sudden realization that despite her internal grumbles, things were not that bad. Sure she had to rough it out sometimes, but whenever she was not being pursued, the freedom was something she appreciated greatly. The variation of jobs she had performed over the last year had also given her a better sense of her skills. Unhindered by rules, she had developed more than she could ever imagine, sometimes even frightening herself.

She gritted her teeth when another disturbing thought occurred to her.

Was she actually getting used to life as a missing-nin?

She quickly shook the unwanted thought away from her mind. Getting used to it or not did not matter. All that mattered was her loyalty to Konoha and her ultimate mission.

Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the window and pushed it open. A light breeze filtered into the room. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head to welcome it. Wind, after all, was her main element, her secondary one being earth. Naruto's image instantly came to mind. He too, was predisposed to the wind element. And at that very instance, she missed her friend acutely.

No, she should not think about Naruto.

Eyes snapping open, she sat down in front of the window and collected her thoughts, forming words in her mind. Bringing her hands up, she formed a series of hand seals. Instantly, a gentle thread of wind curled itself around her, speeding up slightly when she infused the words from her mind into it.

"Tsunade-shishou," she whispered wistfully.

Then the wind uncurled itself from her and swept out of the window, taking a message south-east to Fire Country, to the Hokage's tower.

"_Progressing as usual. Still no contact. Watch over everyone for me. Take care."_

* * *

A dim light flickered in the corner, barely illuminating the occupants of the dark cavern. Six flickering figures stood in loosely in a circular formation, all regarding each other silently. 

Itachi glanced around impassively, noting that everyone was present. Their numbers had certainly dwindled over the last three years. Sasori had been killed right after Shukaku's extraction. Shortly after that, Hidan and Kakuzu had been foolish enough to allow themselves to be slain by Leaf shinobi. And just a few months ago, Zetsu had been killed in a confrontation with the eight-tailed bijuu, the hachibi. Now, aside from him, Pein, Konan, Deidara, Tobi and Kisame were the only ones left in the organization.

The astral projection of Pein clearly displayed his displeasure. "There are two more bijuu to go. It is about time we captured them. Are their locations known yet?" he asked pointedly.

Unperturbed, Itachi replied quietly, "The kyuubi is not required yet. Our priority should be the hachibi."

Addressing no one in particular, Pein asked, "Since Kakuzu's death, has anyone picked up the hachibi's trail?"

"He will be found sooner or later," Kisame replied.

"We need to make it sooner than later. He needs to be captured before the end of two months," Pein told shark-faced man, his tone leaving no doubt that failure would not be tolerated. "There are only so many places the eight-tailed bijuu could hide."

Itachi glanced sideways when a cheerful voice broke into the gloomy atmosphere. Unsurprisingly, it was Tobi. Not for the first time, Itachi wondered why was such a character allowed in the organization. There must be something more to Tobi than his perpetual cheerfulness.

"How long does it take to extract the hachibi?" Tobi asked through his orange mask, sounding excited. "It'll be my first time, you know. I can't wait!"

Obviously irritated by his partner, Deidara muttered something under his breath.

"We took three days to extract Shukaku without Orochimaru. And that's only a one-tailed demon. With six of us, and taking into consideration that the hachibi and kyuubi are much stronger, I'd imagine it'll take a lot longer," Konan, the only female member in Akatsuki, explained.

Pein nodded. "I've taken that into consideration. The continual loss of our members is a concern, but I've tracked down Orochimaru's ring."

Itachi glanced at Pein, wondering why Orochimaru's ring was so crucial. After all, if one needed a spare ring, Hidan's or Kakuzu's rings would serve the purpose since Zetsu's ring was nowhere to be found. Unless, of course, there was something in Orochimaru's ring that he was not aware of.

Kisame asked, "Where's the ring?"

"Orochimaru's servant, Kabuto has it," Pein explained. "Once we get it back, we can initiate a new member."

"Is Kabuto joining us?" Tobi piped up curiously.

"Kabuto is loyal to Orochimaru, even in his death. No, Kabuto is not ideal. Besides, I have someone else in mind."

Itachi frowned, disliking the entire idea. "Introducing a new member at this stage could be risky."

"It would be almost impossible to extract the hachibi with only six of us, let alone the kyuubi," Pein explained. "Though I understand your concerns."

Deciding that he had made his position clear, Itachi simply nodded. It was not his problem if the latest member turned out to be incompetent. Still, it did not matter as long as the new member would be partnered with someone else other than him.

Deidara spoke out loud for the first time, "If we're recruiting, it'd better be fast, yeah. Who knows how long it'll take to induct the kid into Akatsuki?"

Pein inclined his head. "Konan has been working on this. She'll approach the target."

Itachi raised a brow, but said nothing. He had expected Pein to give him this task. After all, the Mangekyou Sharingan made it easy to 'persuade' one to join. Why would Pein send Konan instead?

Perhaps there was difficulty in tracking this particular target that required Konan's particular skill.

"Itachi. Kisame. The two of you will retrieve Orochimaru's ring and bring it back to Rain Country. Kabuto is currently hiding in Kumogakure."

Itachi nodded.

Pein turned to Deidara. "You and Tobi will locate the hachibi and then report back. Remember that the hachibi is not alone. Do not make the same mistake as Zetsu." With a sweeping glance around the chamber, Pein said, "That's all."

Satisfied that he was no longer needed, Itachi closed his eyes performed the jutsu to propel his consciousness back to his body. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself sitting beneath a secluded rocky outcrop with a slightly blurred Kisame not far from him. The morning sun bouncing off the rocks did not help, making him grimace at the reminder of his less than perfect eyesight. Still, it was not bad enough to detract him from his tasks.

Itachi stood up and allowed his gaze to touch upon the landscape before them. They were in the south of Earth Country and it would take them several days to cross a few smaller countries before they arrived at Lightning Country, where Kumogakure was situated.

Kisame turned to him. "We're heading towards Kumogakure then."

"Aa."

As they began to leave the relative security of the rock outcrops, Kisame remarked thoughtfully, "I wonder why Pein didn't just use Hidan's or Kakuzu's rings."

Itachi glanced at Kisame out of the corner of his eyes. "I wondered the same thing."

"Maybe the ring suits the new member best." Kisame chuckled. After a short pause, he added, "Since we're already in pairs, one of us will probably end up being a threesome."

Itachi frowned. "Perhaps." That would certainly change the team dynamics. He worked well with Kisame and he fervently hoped that the newcomer would not be assigned to their team.

They continued to journey east, not taking a break until the crossed the border from Earth Country to Waterfall Country. Pinpointing Kabuto's exact location would be time-consuming, and they would need to hurry.

With no encounters, they managed to cross over the entire country and then into another one. By the time they found a small village, the sun had already set. There, they decided to procure two rooms, one for each of them, and then settled down to rest for the night.

* * *

All refreshed after her two days rest, Sakura smiled to herself as she swung her pack onto her back. It was time to move on to her next destination, the Earth Country. It was one of the five countries that has its own hidden village. And this one housed the Hidden Village of Rock, Iwagakure. 

Her eyes gleamed. It would be dangerous, but if she managed to make her presence known in a place like this, there was a better chance of catching the Akatsuki's attention. Sure it meant getting chased all over the country by hunter-nins, but she was fairly used to it.

Yeah, that should do it.

Anticipating the oncoming excitement, Sakura quickly left the inn. She needed to stock up on some supplies first. Although was less than happy at the thought of dehydrated food, she did not have much choice in the matter, seeing that she was running low on of soldier-pills. Maybe she could get some of those when she got to Earth Country. Being a shinobi country, it should be quite easy to find those pills there.

As she crossed the street to the nearest store, a faint presence made her steps falter.

Shinobi.

There were two of them some distance away from her. She did not expect to meet any here, but maybe they were just traveling like her. This country was a peaceful one and she would hate to fight here.

Forcing herself to remain calm outwardly, she continued to the shop without looking back. The faint traces of their chakras told her that they were not in pursuit. So long as she remained casual, they should not suspect anything.

Quickly, she purchased what she needed from the shop and left. The density of the buildings thinned as she walked further out of the centre.

When she reached the outskirts of the village, she paused and expanded her senses again. This time, she sensed nothing. The only movement around her was the lazy swaying of trees dotting the landscape surrounding her as she stood next to a gurgling stream.

They must have left, she thought with an inward shrug.

Her relief was short-lived, for at that very instance, the fine hair at the back of her neck stood on its end. Tensing, she spun around. Her eyes immediately widened at the sight of the two figures before her, both dressed in black cloaks decorated with red clouds.

Akatsuki.

They said nothing as they stared at her.

Damn it, it was the Akatsuki and she had almost walked away from the opportunity. She just hoped that they could not hear the erratic thumping of her heart. This was the moment she was waiting for. After all this time, she finally came across the Akatsuki. It was no time to panic. Stay calm, Sakura, she told herself. Yes, they would expect her to be wary, but not panic like an unseasoned genin.

As she watched cautiously, they removed their bamboo hats, revealing their faces.

Sakura inhaled a sharp breath.

Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame.

* * *

(to be continued...) 

A/N: I'm incredibly nervous about this, because this is the first chapter of my first Naruto fanfiction. So I'd be eternally grateful if you could leave me a review to let me know what you think of it so far. Then at least I'll know if I should continue or simply delete this story!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

Spoilers: The story follows the canon storyline until the part shortly after the Sasuke vs. Orochimaru battle (approximately chapter 353). After that, I took liberties with the facts.

A/N: Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year everyone! A great big thank you to DevilsAnimeAngel, borisbear, Some Scribbles, madjane, pinkcherryblosson225, animeismyname, Sanctus Espiritus, Kinkatia, inexperiencedwriter, Rezangel92, Dark Darianna Minamino, ST Nikolian, sweet-taboos, TeenageCrisis, amyln, himeyuzuki, Jester08, ArjunaAnja, jHeyTTernallie, aFigureOfSpeech, cherryblossom94, xxx1xxx and supersillee06, for reviewing the first chapter of this story. I truly appreciate the encouragement!

And now, here's the next chapter. Please enjoy!

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 2**

Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame.

Sakura studied the shark-like features of the Hoshigaki before her eyes swept over the shorter shinobi. Wary of his Sharingan, her eyes flicked past his crimson ones before she quickly diverted her gaze further down. Seeing Uchiha Itachi close up like this instantly brought back memories of Sasuke. This was the man that Sasuke had vowed to kill. This was the man that drove Sasuke to his mad quest for power.

Sasuke. As always, the name brought forth a mix of feelings within her. Was he still a friend? Would a friend attempt to kill another friend without even blinking an eye? Because she was sure that that was what Sasuke had tried to do the last time they met. It had happened during one of their missions to hunt him down. So much for protecting his important people, she thought dryly.

She gave herself a mental shake, forcing herself to focus on the present. Sasuke was not important now. What was important was the two Akatsuki in front of her. Her eyes not leaving them, she grabbed a kunai in readiness. There was no telling what they were planning to do.

The Uchiha did not react to her move, but the Hoshigaki bared his sharp, jagged teeth in what looked like a smile.

"Well, what do we have here? A Leaf kunoichi all by herself," Kisame remarked. "A missing-nin, are we?"

Instantly riled by his tone, Sakura lifted her chin to glare at his blue face. "What is it to you?" she snapped.

"We don't see many Leaf missing-nins around, do we, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked without taking his eyes off her.

"It's none of your business."

This was definitely not how she pictured her encounter with the Akatsuki. Come to think of it, she did not know what she expected in the first place.

"Why are you here?" the Uchiha prodigy spoke in a quiet voice.

Sakura shifted her eyes back to him, aiming her gaze at his hitai-ate. Anything to avoid being caught in those eyes. Not that she could not escape it if she had to, but caution would serve her better.

"Like I said before, it is none of your business."

The Uchiha raised a brow. "We are simply curious, kunoichi. After all, you're quite aware that we're interested in your kyuubi friend."

Sakura's lips thinned. "Then perhaps you should search for him instead of wasting my time here."

Kisame's eyes narrowed. "Itachi-san, I say we grab this kunoichi and use her as bait. Konoha must be looking for her, right? We could use her to distract the ANBU while we capture the kyuubi. What do you think?"

Before his partner could reply, Sakura snorted derisively. "Your confidence is as empty as your head. What makes you think you could kidnap me, huh?" If this wouldn't infuriate him into a battle, she did not know what would.

As predicted, Kisame instantly flared out, "Why you little-"

"Kisame-san," the Uchiha cautioned, only to be ignored by the furious Kisame.

A grin broke out on Sakura's face. Her main aim was to somehow demonstrate her skills to the Akatsuki and Kisame was handing her the opportunity on a silver platter. A part of her, the inner Sakura which had been suppressed over the years, was hollering a victory cry. The Akatsuki was made up of the strongest shinobi she knew and now she would get to pit her strength against one of them. It was time to kick some blue shark butt. Hell yeah!

Kisame swung his large weapon forward. "It's feeding time for Samehada," he growled threateningly.

Readying herself for the fight, Sakura flexed her gloved fingers and crouched lower. She had studied the profile this particular Akatsuki more than a year ago, and she knew that Samehada would absorb her chakra if she was not careful. She had not wasted her wandering time doing nothing between jobs, so she had found a way to counter it.

"Bring it on, Fishy," she goaded gleefully.

The Uchiha flicked an indecipherable look at his partner. "Kisame-san, we are wasting time here."

Eyes not leaving her, the Mist shinobi replied, "This won't take long."

It was time to start, she decided. Drawing her chakra-infused fist back and then slamming it down, she cracked the earth with her trademark attack. Vaguely, she registered out of the corner of her eyes that the Uchiha had leapt some distance away. Kisame's footing destabilized momentarily before he jumped out of the way. Without a pause, he streaked swiftly towards her. She waited for Kisame to close in on her before she made her next move.

"SHANNARO!"

She launched high up in the air, the force of her lift off shaking the ground beneath her. Eyes widening slightly before he righted himself, Kisame brought up Samehada just as her fist descended towards him. Having anticipated his move, Sakura immediately twisted her wrist, allowing only the back of her gloved hand to come into contact with Samehada before she flipped her body away from him.

When she landed some distance away, she found Kisame staring at her with an incredulous look. It was as if he could not believe that her chakra had not been absorbed. She smirked. It was easy, really. The back of her gloves acted like a chakra repellant, a barrier, while the rest of the gloves allowed her to perform her usual chakra-based attacks.

"Enough of playing around," Kisame growled as he ripped the white wrapping off his Samehada, revealing the sharp scales.

Sakura lifted a brow. "Oh, getting serious now, are we?"

With a snarl, the blue-skinned Akatsuki zipped towards her in a blur. Sakura's eyes widened. For someone so big, he sure moved fast. She barely ducked out of the way, leaving a substitute in her place as the gigantic blade landed. The substitute log split into two just as Sakura reappeared behind him. That was close, she thought, her heart thudding rapidly.

Kisame spun around. At the same time, she darted forward, determined to land a hit this time. The Mist shinobi dug Samehada into the ground, using it to propel himself upwards. His feet barely touched the ground when he pulled his blade from the ground to swing it towards her.

Knowing that she could not escape fast enough, Sakura skidded to a halt and yanked out two kunais to block the attack. Unfortunately for her, she misjudged the distance and Samehada grazed her exposed left arm, drawing a choked cry from her. He managed to force a portion of her chakra out of her before she leapt away from him.

Landing a safe distance away, she inspected her arm and hissed out a curse when she realized that her skin was scraped raw. She raised her eyes to meet Kisame's smirking face. Gritting her teeth, she quickly healed her wound. Damn it, more chakra wasted!

Kisame laughed. "Samehada likes the taste of your chakra."

Sakura's eyes narrowed in irritation.

Then, just as she finished healing her arm, Kisame began a series of seals.

A water-jutsu, Sakura realized in alarm. Earth-based jutsu, which could defeat water-based jutsu, was not her primary element and she was not particularly adept at it. But she did not have any other choice now.

Hurriedly performing the hand seals that Yamato had taught her, Sakura hoped that she would not mess this up like she had done so many times during her training sessions. This was one of the Third Hokage's jutsu, one which was useful only in defense. It was perfect for this type of situations, if she could just pull it off correctly.

"Suiton: Suikoudan-no-Jutsu!" Kisame shouted.

Sakura slammed her hands down on the ground as she yelled, "Doton: Doryuu-Jouheki!"

Her earth wall shot up between them just in time for Kisame's shark-like water projectile to crash into it. The earth wall was not as strong as Yamato's, but at least she managed to bring it up in time. Trembling with the effort, Sakura forced herself to hold the jutsu intact as the water exerted a large pressure behind it.

After what seemed like forever, the pressure behind the wall eased, allowing her to release her own jutsu. The wall crumbled into the puddle of water, leaving them to glare at each other across the muddy mess.

Damn it! Reading his profile was nothing like battling him, she thought as she panted heavily. Scolding herself inwardly for her earlier smugness, she slowly straightened, all the time keeping her eyes fixed on her opponent. At least Kisame was not doing any better than she was, considering rapid heaving of his chest. But she knew that she would run out of chakra if this went on for much longer.

It was time to finish this. There was no other option but to use a method she preferred not to use to knock him out. The problem was, she had to actually get near him to do it, and that meant putting herself in Samehada's path.

Her eyes sharpened when she saw Kisame's feet shifting. Then they sped towards each other in unison. Zigzagging as she neared him, Sakura dodged the spiky Samehada, her smaller form helping her movements. Closer, she repeated like a mantra as she weaved between Kisame's limbs and weapons, her muscles straining at the effort of precision control. Kisame was not allowing her to get anywhere near his body, and her shorter arms were not helping.

Then she saw an opening.

Her right hand snapped out and her chakra-filled fingers grazed the side of his head. With a shocked gasp, Kisame reared back and fell to his knees. Dropping his weapon, his hands flew to his head and a pained hiss escaped him.

Panting heavily, Sakura staggered back, her wary eyes not leaving her opponent. It was not the full attack, seeing that she had only grazed the side of his head, but it was definitely enough. She did not have enough chakra to perform the full jutsu after all. The attack was something she had discovered by accident during her medic training. Insert a certain intensity of chakra into someone's brain and one could induce anything from a headache to a complete mental breakdown.

From the looks of it, Kisame just received a temporary head-splitting migraine.

"That's enough."

Still choking in much needed air into her lungs, Sakura spun towards the owner of the voice, her entire body tense. She was so caught up in the battle that she had almost forgotten that the Uchiha was watching. And right now, even though his expression betrayed none of his emotions, his posture told her that he was wary of her.

Good, she decided. She only hoped that he would not decide to fight her. The amount of chakra she had left would not be enough to hold this particular Akatsuki off. And anyway, she had done what she had set out to do.

She got their attention.

* * *

He, Uchiha Itachi, was hardly ever surprised. 

But today, he admitted that he was surprised by this particular kunoichi, this missing-nin from Konoha who had once stood by the kyuubi's side. The last time he had seen her was back when he and Kisame were sent to intercept their team during the Shukaku extraction.

Itachi glanced at his partner who was still clutching his head in obvious pain, oblivious to his surroundings. Kisame was not one to be defeated easily. In fact, Itachi could not recall when was the last time his partner had been defeated. Then again, they hardly ever battled medic-nins, and it was clear from her final attack that this kunoichi possessed advanced medical skills.

Kisame truly brought this upon himself. When they had noticed the kunoichi earlier, Itachi had simply remarked that she was with the kyuubi at one time. It was Kisame who had insisted on taking the short detour.

He caught a stealthy movement out of the corner of his eyes. Instantly, he turned his full attention to the kunoichi. She was backing away in an attempt to leave them. Their eyes met briefly before she quickly shifted her gaze to land on his hitai-ate. Itachi smirked inwardly. It was obvious that she was familiar with the Sharingan.

"He will be fine in about half a day," she said quietly.

"Is that so?"

She took another step away from him, her anxiety clearly displayed in her tense posture. "It's just a bad migraine."

Wordlessly, Itachi simply continued to watch her retreat slowly until she deemed that she was far enough from them. Then, with a series of hand seals, she seemingly disappeared into thin air. Knowing that it served no purpose to pursue her, Itachi walked towards his partner and knelt down. Still on his knees, Kisame's head was buried in his large hands.

"Kisame-san."

A groan escaped the Mist shinobi. "That kunoichi… Damn it! I will… ugh…"

"Kisame," Itachi called out in a firmer voice. "We have to leave. Can you move?"

Slowly, his entire body straining in pain, Kisame removed his hands from his head. His beady eyes were unfocussed as he turned to look around. "W-Where is she? I'm going to kill her."

"You're hardly in the state to do so," Itachi remarked dryly as he handed Kisame his hat. Then he stood up. "Let's go."

Cursing loudly, Kisame raised himself up unsteadily and began to walk.

As the kunoichi had informed him earlier, half a day passed before Kisame's pain receded. By that time, they were already crossed the border into the next country.

* * *

Rocks, rocks and more rocks. Earth Country was made up of rocks mostly, but there were small patches of forested area which she tended to walk alongside of. As she trudged across the undulating landscape, Sakura grumbled under her breath at the heat. She had passed a couple of villages in the last few days and to her dismay, found not a single interesting job. Those she had spoken to mentioned that there might be some in the next village. Maybe all the jobs had been taken up by rogue shinobi. After all, this was a shinobi country. 

It was just a bit of a let down after what she had gone through with the two Akatsuki a few days ago. Even now, she could not help but smile at her success. She could hardly believe that she had pulled it off with her entire body intact. Maybe Kisame had not employed his full power, but who cared, right?

A light shimmer between the trees in the distance caught her attention. She squinted to see better, and then her eyes widened. It looked like there was a waterfall in there.

Beaming in anticipation, she quickened her steps.

It was not long before she arrived at a beautiful scene. Water cascaded down the rock face, ending up in a pebbly stream which threaded between the tree trunks. A light mist dotted the air, catching the rays of sun which shone down on them. The rippling water was inviting and the thundering sound from the waterfall was strangely relaxing.

After washing her face to cool herself down, Sakura laid down on a flat piece of rock. She was so relaxed that she could not help but groan out loud. Alright, maybe it was time she stopped traveling between the villages. The fact that those villages were scattered over the vast Earth Country meant that she almost always had to spend one night in the wild. And anyway, it really did not look as if there was anything interesting out here.

Closing her eyes, she let herself doze off a little.

After a while, her eyes snapped open as she sensed the unmistakable approach of a shinobi. Cursing inwardly, she quickly pushed herself to her feet. At least there was only one. What was it this time? Another hunter-nin?

Glancing around swiftly, she spotted a groove in the rock face to one side of the waterfall. Masking her chakra, Sakura sprinted over the water until she neared it, and then leapt up. Sliding herself into the groove, she waited for the shinobi to appear.

Soon, a tall slender form stepped into the area. But what really caught Sakura's attention was the cloak covering her body as the person walked closer to her hiding place. Sakura gaped in disbelief. What was the chances of coming across not two, but three Akatsuki members in the same week? Her luck must be changing finally. Or maybe this one was here because of what happened to Kisame.

"Haruno Sakura," the female voice called out without looking her way.

Sakura blinked. This woman knew that she was there, not to mention her identity. Sure she managed to get herself into practically every Bingo book in existence over the last one year or so, but one had to be actively tracking her to find her here.

Deciding that it was time to reveal herself, Sakura stepped out into the open. The woman immediately turned to her. To her surprise, Sakura detected a polite smile under the wide rim of the bamboo hat. It did not look as if this shinobi has any hostile intentions, at least on the surface.

"So, you're Haruno Sakura," she drawled.

"And you are?"

The woman removed her hat to reveal a young face, with what looked like a stud under her lower lip. Her dark hair was decorated with a flower. "I'm Konan."

This was one of the Akatsuki that Konoha knew nothing about. Which meant that she did not know what power this woman possessed. Tilting her head to the side, Sakura looked at her thoughtfully before she spoke. "You're the third Akatsuki I came across this week."

A dark brow lifted. "Really? Who were the other two you encountered?"

Sakura reined in her surprise. So this Konan was not here because of what happened to Hoshigaki Kisame. Keeping her voice level, she replied, "Uchiha and Hoshigaki."

It was Konan's turn to look surprised. "I see." A pause followed before she continued, "It sounds like you're quite familiar with our organization."

Sakura smirked. "I know that they're after Naruto."

"Your kyuubi teammate." Konan gave her a contemplative look. "But you're now a missing-nin and he is no longer your teammate. I wonder how that happened."

Sakura shrugged noncommittally. Missing-nins did not normally disclose their pasts, and she was not about to start, especially considering the truth of her own situation. But this conversation was certainly weird. It was obvious that Konan wanted something, and Sakura could not help but wonder if she was finally going to get her break.

Konan took a step closer.

Sakura instantly tensed.

Shaking her head slowly, Konan said softly, "I'm not here to fight."

Narrowing her eyes to convey her suspicion, Sakura retorted, "Then what are you here for? As far as I know, I have no business with Akatsuki."

"That could perhaps change."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm extending you an invitation. We would like you to join us."

Sakura did not have to pretend to look shocked, but she knew that she could not accept right away or it would look suspicious. So she adopted a cautious look. "Join Akatsuki? Why?"

"There is an opening. And you are skilled."

Sakura released a bark of humorless laughter. "There are plenty of skilled shinobi out there."

"Not of your caliber. After all, you were the Godaime Hokage's apprentice."

Sakura held her tongue while she stared at Konan contemplatively. She had to give the impression that she was thinking it over. Over-eagerness would only make things look suspicious, even if she was actually ecstatic at the offer.

"What do you say?" Konan prompted.

After a while, Sakura shook her head. Frowning slightly, she said, "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'm quite alright being a lone missing-nin. I have no reason to join your organization."

"You will have a selection of places to stay when you're not on a mission, and the pay is generous. You will have access to much more funds that you currently do."

Sakura's eyes twitched. Did she give off the impression that she was money-hungry? Perhaps she did, considering the sort of jobs she had taken in the past. Those high-profiled, dangerous jobs usually came with a substantial fee after all. If the Akatsuki had researched her, they would know that.

"I don't think so," Sakura finally said. "Thanks, but no thanks."

Konan's pale eyes flickered in what looked like annoyance. "Perhaps you should think over it. Our missions require exceptional skills which would suit one such as yourself. You would be able to stretch your capacity, instead of carrying out mundane, routine jobs."

Before Sakura could say another word, Konan spun around to walk away. Then she paused and said over her shoulders, "Joining Akatsuki would be worth your while. Consider our proposal carefully. We will speak again in a week."

With that, the Akatsuki burst into what looked like shreds of paper butterflies and dispersed out of sight.

Still rooted to the spot, Sakura waited a long while before she exhaled loudly. Closing her eyes, she sank down on the rock surface. Her tension subsided slowly to be replaced by a sudden sense of exhilaration. Finally! Finally she was getting somewhere. She just received her invitation to join the Akatsuki.

Hell yeah!

Jumping to her feet, she began to walk away from the area. She had to find some place secure to get her message to Tsunade.

* * *

Sprawled over the desk in the most inelegant manner, the fifth Hokage choked softly on her own snores, instantly waking herself up. Blinking back her grogginess, Tsunade lifted her head to scowl at the scroll which had served as her pillow. It was ruined now, not that she cared. 

The door burst open suddenly, jolting her into instant alertness. An orange blur entered her office uninvited.

"TSUNADE-BAA-CHAN!"

Tsunade gritted her teeth at the address. "Naruto…" she ground out. Just what she needed, a hyper shinobi in her office just a second after she had woken up.

Grinning widely, Naruto announced, "We just completed the last mission. It was a success. Do you have another one for us?"

Tsunade bit back a sigh. He had just finished a mission and he wanted another one already? She supposed she should not be that surprised. After all, Naruto had been like this since Sakura left. It was as if he was trying to fill up all his time with missions to make up for his friend's absence.

"Where are the rest?"

Eyes crinkling in a sheepish smile, Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh! Neji, Tenten and Lee are on their way."

Tsunade closed her eyes in resignation. Naruto must have run ahead of them and left them behind as usual. So much for teamwork. At the rate Naruto was going, she wondered how much more his temporary teammates could take before they cracked under pressure. No one has as much stamina as the boy in front of her. It was best to wait until Sai was back from his ANBU Root re-training before assigning Naruto any more missions.

"So, any more missions? Maybe an A-Rank one." He paused to think, and then continued, "But of course an S-Rank one would be better!"

Shaking her head firmly, she gave him a stern look. "Go get some rest, Naruto."

Naruto simply carried on, changing the subject this time. "Baa-chan, do you know why my application into the hunter-nin division got rejected?"

Tsunade stilled. Everyone was aware that Naruto wanted to become a hunter-nin so that he could traipse all over the place to search for Sakura and Sasuke. Knowing how emotional Naruto was, that was just the last thing they needed him to do. So, although she knew the reason behind the rejection, she had no intention of disclosing it to Naruto, at least, not if she wanted any peace.

"I don't know."

"I think I'm qualified enough, so I don't understand why they won't let me join."

"You're already an ANBU, Naruto," Tsunade pointed out, her patience waning fast. "Isn't that enough?"

His expression sank visibly. "But Tsunade-baa-chan…"

She held a hand up. "That's enough, Naruto. Now go home and rest."

Grudgingly, the blonde-haired eighteen-year-old left her office. But Tsunade knew that this would not be the last of it. Naruto would continue to hassle her until one of them cracked.

Straightening, Tsunade stretched and released a long-drawn yawn. It was time to take a walk outside the office to wake herself up, and maybe stop by the shop to restock her supply of sake.

Before she could get to the door, the window behind the desk rattled violently.

Recognizing the signs, she instantly spun around and rushed towards the window to open it. A gush of warm air slid through the opening and then twirled a few times around her. It felt as if Sakura was giving her a hug, she realized, blinking back the sudden sting in her eyes. Then Tsunade immediately chastised herself for her stupid sentimentality.

Knowing that the wind would follow her until she acknowledged it, she lifted her hands and performed a series of seals. The only other two in Konoha who knew this jutsu were Kakashi and Shikamaru.

"Sakura…" Tsunade whispered softly as the wind slowed down.

Then she heard the quiet whispery voice, meant only for her ears and another two.

"_Contact made. Job offer under consideration. Phase 1 complete. Phase 2 pending. Left info in pickup point 4. Watch over everyone for me. Take care."_

The message was rather cryptic as usual, but Tsunade understood exactly what Sakura meant. Rushing to the door, she yanked it open and yelled out to a bewildered chuunin, "Get Kakashi and Shikamaru here immediately!"

Slamming the door shut with complete disregard to the fact that the building actually shook at the impact, Tsunade strode back to her desk and sat down. All their planning and preparation were finally showing results. Sakura had done exceptionally well in her task to capture Akatsuki's attention, what they had dubbed Phase 1 of the mission. Kakashi, Shikamaru and herself had been astounded by the speed her reputation had traveled over the different countries.

Still, she could not help but worry about her favorite student. Part of her was concerned that things would get out of hand, that Sakura would lose her soul along the way. But from what they had heard so far of her activities over the last one year, even though there were plenty of bloodshed, Sakura had only killed less than handful of people, which was a feat in itself considering the type of jobs she had undertaken.

Now that Akatsuki had approached her, things would only get more complicated. Tsunade fervently hoped that they had not made a mistake in assigning Sakura to this mission. She did not want the girl scarred irreparably.

Not to mention that Naruto would not forgive her once he found out. The boy had changed ever since Sakura left. Nowadays, his cheerfulness was less real and more of a façade. It was to be expected, but in a way, it was something Naruto had to get used to. A shinobi's life was fleeting, and Naruto could not expect to have all his friends by his side all the time. He needed to understand this feeling, even though he was not aware of the truth behind Sakura's supposed defection.

The rapping on her door drew her out of her contemplations.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal Kakashi and Shikamaru. They closed the door before stepping up to her desk.

Kakashi raised a hand in greeting. "Yo."

Tsunade went straight to the point. "She made contact. It seems to be going according to plan."

Kakashi's visible eye widened. "It was sooner than I'd expected."

Shikamaru looked thoughtful. "It's good though."

"She left some information for us in Pickup Point 4."

"I'll send someone to pick it up," Kakashi offered.

Tsunade nodded. "We should keep our eyes and ears open just in case something goes wrong and she needs to be extracted."

Shikamaru rubbed his chin. "Things will get more troublesome for her now. But I think she can handle it."

Eye creasing, Kakashi said confidently, "That I have no doubt."

Tsunade smiled. "Of course."

* * *

It was raining in Rain Country when they set foot in it. 

Itachi glanced up at the sky, feeling somewhat irritated that they arrived just in time for one of Pein's showers. It appeared that the place was aptly named. Dipping his hat lower, Itachi continued to make his way to his destination, a temple-like building at the edge of the village. Kisame was beside him, his light steps splashing through the puddles displaying his pleasure at the weather.

It had taken them three days to pinpoint Kabuto's exact location. And after a furious battle with the bespectacled medic, they had finally obtained the ring. It had not been an easy battle, considering that Kabuto had somehow managed to absorb some of Orochimaru's power. But it had ended before he or Kisame sustained any major injuries. They had commenced the journey back after a few days of rest to regain their strength.

It was not long before they stood at the threshold to Pein's abode. Pein was there, staring up at the sky, seemingly enjoying his masterpiece. Without a word, Itachi approached him. When their leader looked down, Itachi held out hand and uncurled his fingers to reveal Orochimaru's ring.

Reaching out to accept the offering, Pein then lifted it to his eyes. "Orochimaru," he mumbled before returning his gaze to the pair. "Is Kabuto dead?"

"Aa."

Kisame smirked. "He's no longer a problem."

Whilst it was not something Itachi would do, Kisame had mutilated the medic-nin's body, ensuring that Kabuto would never be resurrected. Itachi preferred clean battles, with minimal exertion on his part unless it was necessary.

A small smile tilted the corner of Pein's lips. "You've done well. With this ring, we can now progress with the initiation."

Surprised, Itachi asked, "The shinobi is here?"

Pein nodded. "Since last night." Inclining his head towards the inside of the building, he continued, "Come. It is time you're formally introduced."

Formally introduced? That was an odd way to put it. Deciding not to say anything further, he followed Pein into the building and continued into the living room. There were already two people at the far end of the room.

Itachi's steps faltered slightly as the figure standing beside Konan came into view. His eyes instantly widened in recognition. Next to him, Kisame released an angry hiss as the pair walked towards them.

Pein inclined his head the newcomer. "Sakura, this is Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame. But I believe you've met before?"

It was the kunoichi they had met in that village a few weeks ago. What was the meaning of this? Could this pink-haired kunoichi be their newest member? Was she the one Pein wished to take Orochimaru's place? On second thoughts, perhaps he should not be too surprised at her presence, considering what he had seen of her. A medic-nin with her type of strength was rare. Therefore, he could understand why Pein wanted her skills.

A growl escaped Kisame's lips.

"Aa," was the only respond Itachi gave.

The pink-haired kunoichi's tone was level when she said, "Yes, we have met. But we haven't been properly introduced, Uchiha-san, Hoshigaki-san."

Konan shook her head. "There is no need for such formalities." Tuning around, the dark-haired kunoichi gave Kisame a pointed look. "Is everything alright, Kisame?"

Kisame grunted.

Knowing that he was expected to say something, Itachi inclined his head at their latest member. "Welcome to the Akatsuki, Sakura-san."

"It might be a little early for that. I'm only here to discuss the offer, Itachi-san," she returned genially.

Itachi reined in his surprise. So, she had not accepted the invitation. He turned sideways to catch the look given to him by Pein. There was no need for words. If the kunoichi failed to accept the invitation, she would then be persuaded to do so by the Mangekyou Sharingan, or be relieved of her life.

Unaware of the unspoken exchange, the kunoichi turned to Kisame. "I trust that you're well, Kisame-san?"

Kisame glared at her. "Cut the crap, kunoichi."

Obviously unperturbed by the Mist shinobi's tone, the kunoichi grinned. "I'm just concerned about your welfare, that's all."

The kunoichi seemed to enjoy antagonizing his partner, Itachi mused inwardly. No doubt this latest development would provide some amusement to the rest of them. Idly, he wondered how long it would take before either Kisame or the kunoichi end up in another battle.

Pein placed a restraining hand on Kisame's shoulders. His tone was dry when he remarked, "I see that you're already getting along well."

"Obviously," Konan muttered.

Releasing his hold on the glowering Mist shinobi, Pein declared, "We will wait for Deidara and Tobi before we commence. They found their target a couple of days ago and said that they should be back sometime today. In the meantime, you can all take a rest."

Itachi nodded.

The fact that their leader wished for the presence of the other two meant that Pein fully expected to commence the initiation process. He wondered how the kunoichi would react to it, considering that she was under the impression that she was merely there to assess the offer. Pein would not be pleased should she choose to reject rather than to accept.

It was up to her to make the correct decision soon, if she did not want her life to end.

* * *

A/N: I hope you like the story so far. Please review if you can – it'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

elle6778


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

Spoilers: The story follows the canon storyline until the part shortly after the Sasuke vs. Orochimaru battle (approximately chapter 353). After that, I took liberties with the facts.

A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews from – animeismyname, inexperiencedwriter, Majs007, Katie, Sanctus Espiritus, Goukatenshi, Haine-chan, supersillee06, sweet-taboos, Kinkatia, a-no-min-ous, Dark Darianna Minamino, Hao'sAnjul, samurifox25, NejiSakuFan, pinkcherryblossom225, sami, Blue-Moon-Nights, LilBitzer, Jester08, aznkitty180, ArjunaAnja, TheRYU, Wingless Arrow, cherryblossom94, Reimei Hoshi and madjane.

I'm so happy you like the story so far. Without further ado, here's the next chapter.

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 3**

Sakura laid back on her futon, stretching languidly as she did so. Eyes half hooded, she scanned the room she had been given last night. It was nice and spacious. The construction was traditional, with walls made out of bamboo and shoji screens, and floor carpeted with tatami mats. A cozy little fire pit graced the centre of the room, next to a low table and flat cushions beside it.

With a sigh, she stood up to walk to the open window, her mission for Konoha playing in her mind. The slight breeze reminded her that she haven't contacted Tsunade about the latest development with the Akatsuki yet. Considering where she was, she did not dare to risk the message being intercepted until she knew more about the security of the area. But at least she managed to leave a scroll with a brief description of Konan in one of the pickup points. Hopefully it would give Konoha some idea of where to start researching the background of this female Akatsuki member.

Sliding down to the tatami mat, she leaned against the bottom of the window.

Konan had approached her exactly one week after their first encounter. At that time, Sakura had been camping out in one of the rocky valleys in Earth Country, for the lack of villages nearby. The heat and humidity getting the worst of her, Sakura knew that she had been far from pleasant. But Konan had simply smirked and calmly presented her offer again.

That time round, she had consented to follow Konan back to one of their bases to listen to what they had to offer. Heck, she would have accepted anything just to get a break from the damned heat. After a long one week, but not unpleasant journey south, they had finally arrived at Rain Country last night. It was not until this morning that she had been introduced to Pein, the reclusive leader of the organization.

Sakura could not help but grin at her recollection of the Uchiha's and the shark-man's expressions earlier. They sure did not expect to see her here. But what amused her most was Kisame's displeasure. The guy was obviously itching to fight her again, for revenge, no doubt. Her eyes narrowed in anticipation. Heh, she could not wait to try out a few of her untested jutsu on Kisame. Something told her that it was going to be fun.

Yawning, she decided that it was a good time to take a nap, since she did not know what she was in for later in the day. Settling down on the futon, her eyes landed briefly on the kunai holster strapped to her thigh. She had to be on guard all the time, seeing that she was effectively in enemy territory, so it was best to leave her weapons secured to her person.

Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to doze off.

In what seemed like no time at all, she was awakened from her light slumber by a sudden commotion. Springing up from the futon, Sakura darted to the window, her shinobi senses instantly alert. The sound came from outside but when she peeked out, she spotted nothing out of the ordinary. Whatever it was, it must have moved indoors, she decided.

Making sure that all her shinobi kit was in place, Sakura left the room and made her way stealthily down the hallway. She could sense chakra in the direction of the living room. It did not seem as if there was a battle going on, but there was no harm in being prepared. Sliding a kunai out of the holster, she gripped it securely and continued in that direction until she heard muffled voices.

The voices grew louder, some familiar and some unfamiliar as she paused outside the door. Cautiously, she pushed it open to find four pairs of eyes turned towards her. Her nose instantly twitched at the unmistakable scent of blood. When a groan of pain reached her, her medic sense immediately kicked in.

Someone was very, very injured.

The one wearing a one-eyed orange mask was the first one to speak. "Eh? Who is this?"

"Our newest member," Kisame muttered darkly.

Sakura only had eyes for the injured Akatsuki doubled over against the wall. This one was Deidara, if she remembered correctly. Her experienced eyes landed on his stomach, or what was left of it amidst the blood. Lips set in a determined line, she strode forward only to be blocked by the shark-man.

She glared at him. "Let me pass. Can't you see that the guy is bleeding to death?"

The Mist shinobi's jaw ticked.

"Kisame-san, she's a medic-nin," the Uchiha pointed out levelly.

The masked one took a quick step towards her. "Can you heal Deidara-senpai? He's Tobi's partner."

Before she could respond, the door to the room opened again. She glanced over her shoulder to see Pein and Konan entering the room. The leader's attention instantly focused on the injured Akatsuki.

"What happened, Deidara?" he asked tersely.

Deidara's only response was a choked groan as he clutched his midsection. Sakura frowned at the sight of blood seeping between his fingers, flowing down to the floor. His condition was critical. The guy would die if he was not treated soon.

"I told him that he should not fight, but the Deidara-senpai did it anyway!" the masked man exclaimed. "The hachibi jinchuuriki knew that we were tracking him and chased after us. We could have run, but Deidara-senpai stayed to fight. And I told him-"

"I understand, Tobi," Pein interjected the rant. Turning to her, he asked, "Sakura, you are a medic-nin, are you not? Can he be healed?"

Nodding wordlessly, Sakura pushed past the shark-man to reach Deidara. The poor man was shaking uncontrollably, and the spreading pool of blood around him told her that if she did not do anything soon, Deidara would go into shock from blood loss. Crouching down, she reached out to pry his hands away. His entire body jerked as his unfocussed eyes snapped up to hers, filled with distrust. Grimacing in irritation, but understanding that Deidara had good reason not to trust a stranger, she tightened her grip around his wrists.

Keeping her voice low and steady, she coaxed, "Deidara-san, you need to let go. I can't heal you without inspecting your injuries."

Konan stepped behind her. "Let her tend to you, Deidara."

Deidara eyes narrowed in suspicion. "S-She's with the kyuubi! So she's not touching me, yeah."

"She's one of us now."

Sakura bit back the urge to correct Konan. The Akatsuki seemed so certain that she would accept. She had only agreed to see what they would offer her, and she had said nothing about accepting, even thought she_would_ eventually accept it. Her mission was to infiltrate the Akatsuki after all.

"I wouldn't let her touch me too, but I don't think you have much of a choice right now," Kisame told the blonde.

"Lie down, Deidara. This is an order," Pein finally snapped when Deidara failed to obey.

The blonde Akatsuki hesitated for a moment, and then his arms loosened. Reaching out to place her hands behind his back, she helped lower him down to the blood-stained tatami mat. Deidara was still tense and obviously in a lot of pain, but at least she could see his injuries now. It did not escape her that he was still glaring suspiciously at her.

"It's not looking good," she whispered half to herself as her eyes scanned his mutilated midsection. It looked like the jinchuuriki had sank his claws multiple times into the Akatsuki. The edges of his torn flesh looked burnt. Still, she had seen enough of Naruto's transformations to know that it could have been much, much worse.

The rest of the Akatsuki said nothing while she placed her glowing hand over the wounds, trying to determine the actual extent of the injury. When she was satisfied with her inspection, she changed her chakra to one for healing. She noted that the blonde had finally succumbed to the pain and had fallen unconscious. Closing her eyes in concentration, she carefully infused her chakra into his damaged organs, encouraging them to heal.

She did not know how long she knelt there beside Deidara, time seemed always to lose its meaning when she was healing. The gentle humming from her palms was the only sound she heard as she forced more and more of her healing chakra into the wound. A little bit more, she kept telling herself when she felt herself being drained more and more.

After what seemed like hours, she lifted her hands. Picking up a piece of bandage, she wiped away the blood. Pink, fresh skin was now present instead of the bloody mangled flesh. She sighed in a mix of relief and satisfaction. Then the torn black cloak with red clouds caught her eyes and Sakura blinked. For the last few hours, she had actually forgotten about her mission. Instead, she had simply reverted back to being a medic.

Glancing out of the window, she noticed that it was already dark. She must have worked on Deidara for at least five hours straight, she thought as she lowered her eyes to the unconscious Akatsuki. No wonder she felt drained.

A sudden rush of panic clogged her throat when it sank in that in her state, she was practically defenseless in enemy territory. With her level of chakra, she would not be able to fight back if they tried anything. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to calm down. She had made a mistake, but there was nothing she could do now. And anyway, it was unlikely that they would harm her, seeing that they wanted to recruit her.

"Will he be alright?"

She looked over her shoulders to find Tobi waiting expectantly. The other four Akatsuki members were still in the room, sitting on cushions and leaning against the walls. They too, wore expectant looks as they stood up to join Tobi. Slowly, she released the breath she had not realize she had been holding. She was panicking for no reason. It was clear that they were not planning to harm her. And if she wanted to fit in without raising suspicions, she had better try to relax, at least outwardly.

"He'll be fine now," she assured with a small smile.

Tobi nodded.

"He should be moved to somewhere more comfortable," she added.

"I'll bring him to his room," Tobi quickly offered and then bent down to scoop Deidara into his arms. Without another word, the masked shinobi carried his partner out of the room, leaving the other four Akatsuki with her.

Sakura grimaced as she straightened her back, unfolding her legs from the floor at the same time. Unfortunately, her legs had fallen asleep on her and she wobbled unsteadily. A hand gripped her elbow firmly, saving her from embarrassing herself. She glanced around to find herself looking into a pair of crimson eyes.

Dragging her eyes away in reflex, she stared at his chin and muttered, "Thank you, Itachi-san."

The Sharingan-wielder simply inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Pein gave her a wry smile. "This was not what I had in mind for tonight. I planned on introducing you to Akatsuki." After a short pause, he added, "Konan told me that you have questions."

Sakura nodded. "I'm curious about the invitation."

Pein flicked his eyes towards Konan. "We can explain that now. This does not need Deidara's participation." Gesturing to the door, he added, "We can discuss it over dinner."

Sakura's stomach rumbled in agreement, and she flushed in embarrassment while Kisame snorted. She immediately glared at the shark-man. To her surprise, he simply quirked a brow.

Well, that was surprising, she thought. Where was all the animosity?

Four of them made their way to the dining hall, and there, packets of food were already sitting on the large table. Sakura surmised that one of them must have left to get it while she had been occupied in healing Deidara.

Soon enough, the packets were opened and dinner began.

* * *

It was clear that the kunoichi was exhausted, Itachi observed impassively. Her chakra was low from the earlier healing, but for some reason, she could still manage to appear animated. From the way she and Kisame were taking verbal shots at each other, no one could tell that she was tired. Unless one possessed the enhanced eyesight provided by the Sharingan, of course. 

As they continued to eat, the subtly conversation turned in the direction of the kunoichi's potential role in Akatsuki. Itachi wondered why Pein even bothered to go through this. After all, the kunoichi would have no choice but to accept. The fact that she was aware of the location of one of their bases was enough to ensure her death if she chose to decline the offer.

"As you know, one of Akatsuki's main tasks is to obtain all nine bijuu. In addition to that, most members also have individual responsibilities," Pein began. "After your performance earlier, it would have made sense to assign the role of medic to you. Especially considering we've never had one."

Itachi's chopsticks paused as he glanced at their leader. The rest of them, bar Deidara who was not present, did the same.

"However, there is something else that we need your skills for."

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"Finances."

As everyone around him stilled at Pein's words, Itachi raised a brow. Kakuzu, the bounty-hunter, had been their original treasurer. And then Zetsu had taken over that role since Kakuzu's defeat at the hands of the Leaf shinobi. And now, Pein wished to assign this task to this kunoichi? Frowning inwardly, Itachi wondered why Pein would assign such an important role to a newcomer. Surely such a thing posed a greater risk to the organization?

"You will be responsible for the organization's funds, making sure that we have sufficient."

Sakura placed her chopsticks down slowly. Mild confusion suffused her features. "Pein-san, why do you need me for this position? My specialty is medical ."

Pein nodded. "That is true, as well as your enormous strength. But our research told us that you are exceptional at… raising funds." He reached into his cloak to pull out a bound stack of paper. Sliding it across to the kunoichi, he continued, "The proof is clearly presented in these sheets."

Not knowing what those sheets contained, Itachi studied the kunoichi as she flicked through them and saw her eyes widen in recognition. She remained still for a moment, her expression turning unmistakably cold. Then she slammed it flat beneath her palms. Her eyes were hard when she glared at Pein.

"These are personal," she bit out icily.

Konan quiet voice broke in. "That it might be, but you must understand that it is necessary for us to investigate you. After all, the role of a treasurer is an important one."

"What's in there?" Tobi interjected curiously, trying to look over Konan at the stack under the kunoichi's hand.

"List of my jobs and how much I've been paid," Sakura replied flatly. "In other words, invasion of my privacy."

Itachi glanced at the kunoichi, curious despite himself. Clearly displeased by what she perceived as the invasion of her privacy, her green eyes flashed as she continued to glare at Pein. She must have managed to amass quite a large personal fund to catch Pein's interest. And all of them knew that the Akatsuki's expenditure was not small. Kakuzu, and later Zetsu, had to make a lot of effort to ensure that they have sufficient funds.

"So, kunoichi. How much do you have in there?" Kisame asked in a taunting voice.

She shot Mist shinobi a dark look. "It's none of your business, Kisame-san."

Kisame bared his teeth in a parody of a smile. "Soon it would be."

"What I earned is mine. And it stays that way even if I decide to join."

Pein raised a placating hand. "Sakura, we will not touch your personal funds. What you've earned before is yours solely. However, from now on, you will act in the interest of the Akatsuki. You seem to have an eye for seeking out lucrative missions, judging by the amount in there," he stated as he pointed at the paper flattened under her hand. "And that is what we need for Akatsuki."

A thoughtful frown appeared between Sakura's brows. After a while, she looked back up at Pein. "So what exactly is the job description?"

"Apart from our main goal, we also carry out side missions. Your role would be to ensure that these side missions bring in enough funds to support the organization and our main goal."

"Do you mean for me to do these side missions all by myself to support this organization?" she sputtered incredulously.

Kisame laughed out loud. "That would be nice."

Tobi piped up, "Zetsu-senpai used to tell Pein-san which side missions we should take to make money. Then Pein-san chooses and assigns the mission to the rest of us."

"I see." A pause followed. "What about distribution of funds for missions?" she asked. "And what do I get out of it?"

"You will allocate what is needed for the members and missions," Pein explained.

Sakura turned a questioning look to towards the only other female Akatsuki. But before she could open her mouth, Konan held her hand up. "I told you a few days ago that you'll be paid well, Sakura. This has not changed. In fact, how well you're paid is up to your own discretion to a certain extent."

Pein nodded. "It might change in the future, but at this moment, we have a set target to fund the organization and its goals. Once we meet this figure, the rest of the fund is split between the members, with a higher percentage for the leader and the treasurer."

The kunoichi's tone was doubtful when she asked, "Why? That sounds too good to be true. Why should the treasurer be paid more?"

"Take it as an incentive to work harder at increasing our funds," Konan suggested with a small smile.

"I see." She adopted a thoughtful look, and then the kunoichi's eyes gleamed. "So let me get this straight. If I feel that we need more funds, I can ask for more missions to be carried out?"

"That's right."

The gleeful smile which crossed her lips instantly sent Itachi's senses into alert. Could it be possible that she intended on sending them to carry out endless number of missions to raise funds? His grip tightened around his chopsticks. Surely not. A quick sideways glance towards his partner told him that Kisame was probably thinking of the same thing, considering the frown adorning his forehead.

Pein raised a questioning brow. "I trust that you'd find this satisfactory?"

A contemplative look crossed the pink-haired kunoichi's features. She appeared to be thinking it over.

Konan voice was level when she asked, "Do you accept?"

The kunoichi took a deep breath. Then she nodded. "I accept."

"Good. Or else we might have to kill you," Konan remarked conversationally. "As it is, you already know too much. We could not possibly allow you to leave with this information."

Seemingly unperturbed, the kunoichi said, "I understand."

Tobi grinned. "Welcome to the Akatsuki. Isn't this great? We've got a new member!"

Kisame grunted.

"There is one more thing, Sakura."

She quirked a questioning brow. "Hmm?"

"You will have to capture the hachibi jinchuuriki as everyone else has been allocated their own bijuu. The only other outstanding one, as you know, is the kyuubi."

Itachi glanced towards the kunoichi to see her reaction. How would she feel about her task considering that her friend was a jinchuuriki? Her expression betrayed nothing, but his Sharingan eyes did not miss the slight flicker in her eyes. Would she change her mind now?

She blinked, and then her eyes took on a gleam of interest. "I'll complete the task, Pein-san. The jinchuuriki will be captured," she responded levelly.

"Good."

Interesting, Itachi thought. Leaf shinobi tended to be rather… attached to friendship. Perhaps this Haruno Sakura had been a missing-nin long enough to shed the emotion. After all, she had left Konoha, had she not?

Finishing her meal, the kunoichi stood up, taking the bound booklet of her records with her. "If you would excuse me, I'd like to return to my room."

"Sakura must be tired after healing Deidara-senpai," Tobi observed, nodding his head vigorously.

She gave Tobi a lopsided smile.

"You've spent a large amount of chakra," Pein acknowledged. "Once Deidara is well, we will commence your initiation. You may, however, consider yourself an Akatsuki now."

Itachi watched silently with the rest of the Akatsuki as the kunoichi left the room.

Kisame was the first one to break the silence. "So, she's our new treasurer, huh?"

"Her financial records are impressive," Konan pointed out. "No other missing-nins come close to what she's earning."

"Does she have a bloodline limit?" Tobi asked curiously.

Pein shook his head. "Not that we know of. But her fighting skills are reputed to be excellent." Then he turned to Kisame. "You fought her recently, I heard."

Kisame grunted. The way his eyes were pinned to his chopsticks made it seem as if he found those eating utensils very fascinating. Itachi could not help but smirk at his partner's obvious discomfort. Kisame could have saved himself the discomfort if he had not chosen to approach the kunoichi two weeks ago.

Tobi leaned forward. "So who won?"

The sake cup in Kisame's hand cracked as he let out an almost inaudible growl.

Knowing that the rest expected to hear an answer, Itachi explained, "The kunoichi used a medical technique to defeat Kisame."

"Is that so?" Pein murmured thoughtfully. "How interesting. So, Kisame, what do you think of her skills?"

The Mist shinobi's tone was grudging when he replied, "She's not bad."

Tobi bounced slightly on his chair. "So you were defeated, huh, Kisame? That must have been pretty embarrassing."

As Konan chuckled, Pein held out a hand to restrain the snarling Kisame before he could launch across the dining table towards a surprised Tobi. Mildly exasperated, Itachi could not help but wonder sometimes if Tobi deliberately tried to get on their nerves. The masked shinobi certainly did it often enough to warrant suspicion.

Deciding the voice the question which had played on his mind earlier, Itachi turned to Pein. "Why Orochimaru's ring?"

A small smile crossed Pein's lips. "Compatibility."

Kisame frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I don't understand," Tobi said plaintively.

"From our research, Sakura is predisposed towards the wind element, and to a lesser extent, the earth element. Orochimaru's elemental bias is towards these same two elements," Pein explained.

"Hm."

Tobi looked confused, but Itachi understood the reasoning. Considering that the bijuu extraction process was dependent on the chakra of the ring-wearer, placing Sakura in Orochimaru's position made sense. Her type of chakra was similar to Orochimaru's, hence would create less instability issues during the extraction. Based on what he had seen during her fight with Kisame, he could also tell that she possessed good chakra control, which was essential for the extraction process.

Yes, it certainly made sense that Pein wanted her as a part of Akatsuki.

The rest of the meal continued in relative silence. When the rest of them finished their dinner, they left the room and made their way back to their own quarters.

Entering his room, Itachi slid the shoji screen shut behind him and went to the bathroom to cleanse himself. Once that was done, he sat down on his futon and then laid down. As he glanced out of the open window, the full moon caught his attention. Unbidden, a memory long lost flashed across his mind.

_The moon shone brightly in the backdrop of inky sky, casting odd shadows in his room. It was annoying, how those shadows danced against the walls and the floor, making him see what was not there. _

_Laid on his futon, he drew his eyes away from the window to stare at the patterns on the ceiling. His eyes were sore and his mind felt clouded, but he could not allow himself to sleep. A kunai was gripped tight in his right hand and his left hand rested on the pouch which contained his shuriken. He did not know when they would come, so he had learnt to be permanently on guard. _

_He could not afford to do otherwise._

_Four months had passed since they first came to him. Since then, he had spent many sleepless nights in this room. But he was better at it now. He learnt his lesson. Being observant, alert and fully prepared were now second nature to him. They could never even make it into his bedroom nowadays. _

_Not again._

With a sharp intake of breath, Itachi forcibly broke off the memory. He despised how these memories refused to leave him, how he remained plagued by it even after so many years. What would he have to do to erase it? Would he ever forget?

Taking a deep breath, Itachi closed his eyes and once again, prepared himself for a sleepless night.

* * *

Two days had passed since Sakura learnt of her new duties. Since then, she had begun familiarizing herself with the finances of the organization. A smirk crossed her lips, she would never have thought that her financial state was the thing which had caught the Akatsuki's attention. 

Dropping the accounts book on the table, Sakura stretched and stood up. A quick glance out of her bedroom window told her that it was about time she went to check on Deidara. Deidara had left her with no other choice but to sedate him yesterday when he woke up and thrashed around in his delirium. Today, she should really wake him up, since he should be completely healed by now.

Her eyes automatically went to her weapons pouch, deciding to leave it. Although she was still wary of the Akatsuki, she realized that it would look very suspicious if she walked around fully equipped with weapons. The kunai in the holster strapped around her thigh and the senbon hidden under her arm-wraps should be sufficient anyway.

Stepping out of her room, she went past a few rooms down the hallway until she reached Deidara's. Without knocking, she slid the shoji open and went in, her eyes landing on the sleeping figure on the futon. Kneeling down next to him, she placed her glowing hand on his forehead to allow him to wake up.

Slowly but surely, Deidara's eyelids began to flutter.

A moment later, Sakura was staring into a pair of brilliant blue eyes. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized that his eyes were the exact same color as Naruto's. Once again, a wave of homesickness coursed through her.

Then those eyes narrowed.

"You!" Deidara snarled as he bolted upright, the blanket covering his naked torso sliding to his waist.

Quickly pressing her hand onto his bare shoulder, Sakura ordered sternly, "Lie back down!"

His chakra flaring, Deidara shrugged her hand away violently. "What are you doing here?" he snapped.

"Keep still."

He jerked away from her.

At the rate he was going, he would probably suffer a relapse. Irritated now, Sakura glared at him. "Look here, Blondie, I'm just trying to help."

"Get away from me. I don't need your help, yeah," he shot back. Then he glanced around almost desperately. "Where's my clay?"

"Listen to me, damn it! You have holes in your stomach two days ago, and you've been out with a fever since then. I didn't fix it all so that you can get yourself sick again!"

He backed further away from her, thankfully pulling the blanket with him. "Do you think I don't know who you are, hmm?"

She was reaching the limit of her patience. What they had told him a couple of days ago obviously had not registered. "I'm part of Akatsuki now. Deal with it, alright."

Deidara snorted derisively. "You're part of the kyuubi's team. So don't think of lying to me like this, yeah!"

Her eyes narrowed as a growl made its way up her throat. "Why you-"

"Deidara."

Sakura spun around to find Itachi frowning at them from the open shoji screen. Finally, someone who Deidara might listen to, she thought irritably. Springing to her feet, she strode towards the Uchiha. When she reached him, she stared straight into his crimson eyes. She was too annoyed to be scared of his Sharingan.

Then she pointed her thumb over her shoulder at her reluctant patient. "Since he doesn't want to listen to me, can you tell him that he needs to take it easy, meaning no abrupt movements, or he'll end up bedridden much longer than he needs to be."

With that, she squeezed past the man to leave the room, only to be halted when a hand clamped around her arm.

"Wait."

At his quiet, but authoritative voice, Sakura turned around. He had lost the frown, and was now regarding her with a look she could not decipher. Then the uncomfortable pressure around her arm reminded her that he was still holding her. She immediately directed a pointed look at his hand before raising her eyes to his again.

He did not break their gaze, but slowly, the pressure on her arm eased and his hand fell to his side.

Sakura resisted the urge to rub her tingling arm. "Is there something else you need, Itachi-san?"

"Can he walk?"

She glanced past Itachi into the room to find Deidara standing shakily on his own two feet, the blanket wrapped around his waist. Stubborn mule, she thought irritably.

"Itachi, what is she doing here?" the blonde snapped.

Sakura reined in her surprise at Deidara's unfriendly tone. For some reason, it looked like Deidara did not like Itachi much, not that Itachi seemed to care. How curious. What had happened between them?

Stepping fully into the room, Itachi explained, "She's our newest member, our treasurer."

Deidara's eyes bugged. "You must be pulling my leg, yeah? She's the one who killed Sasori!"

The sudden tension in Itachi's posture told Sakura that he was not aware of this little fact. She smirked inwardly, strangely glad that she had managed to catch the Uchiha off guard. She wondered idly what else she could do to rattle the stoic shinobi.

Itachi's voice was level when he said, "Nevertheless, she is now considered a member. All that is left is the initiation. Your presence is required for that."

A moment of silence passed as Deidara glared at her. Then, a myriad of emotions crossed his features; anger, confusion and then finally, resignation. With a huff, he turned to Itachi.

"When is the initiation?" Deidara asked grudgingly.

"Now. If you can make it to the hall."

Frowning in disapproval, Sakura stepped up next to Itachi. "He should be resting," she pointed out.

"The initiation only requires his presence and some of his blood."

"I can make it, yeah," Deidara declared. "Now get out so I can get dressed."

Sakura did not wait to be told twice. Quickly, she walked out of the room, leaving Itachi to slide the shoji screen shut behind him. As she stood there, she could hear the rustle of clothes and muffled curses from the room's inhabitant. He was obviously having some problems dressing.

Slightly concerned, she ventured, "Maybe you should help him dress."

Incredulity flashed briefly across Itachi's face before he resumed his usual stoic expression. His tone was clipped when he bit out, "No."

Shrugging, she leaned back against the wall. "Fine. I just hope that he won't tear open a new hole in his stomach."

He turned away from her.

After a while, Itachi's voice reached her. "You killed Sasori?"

The image of the red-headed puppet master flashed across her mind. "It was a long time ago."

"Hm."

And that was all that was said about the subject before the shoji screen slid open to reveal Deidara, clad in his mesh top and black pants. His Akatsuki cloak was slung over his shoulders. He was still a little unsteady on his feet, but he might just be alright, Sakura decided.

* * *

Shoji screen after shoji screen moved past him as Itachi made his way out of the residential building to the next one. He had used his ring to alert Pein that Deidara was able to participate in the initiation. So the rest should already be preparing the chamber. 

"Why the rush, yeah?" Deidara asked as they walked towards the dojo which hid the entrance to the chamber. "Took forever before Tobi got initiated."

"It is risky for all of us to remain in the same place for so long."

Deidara did not seem convinced. "That's it?"

"Pein wants to send her out on a mission."

The kunoichi's steps faltered, and she sounded surprise when she remarked, "This is the first time I've heard of it."

Itachi looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "You will be briefed later."

Turning to him, she asked, "I'll be going with one of you, I take it?"

"Aa."

She looked as if she wanted more information, but thankfully she simply shrugged and continued to walk. Itachi had no doubt that Pein simply wanted to determine how well they worked together. Considering the outcome of Deidara's battle with the hachibi, it was clear that the bijuu was too powerful to be subdued easily. It was likely that Sakura would be introduced to one of their teams when it was time to carry out the task. Skill-wise, he had seen enough to know that she would be able to hold her own. Especially now that he knew that she was the one who had defeated Sasori.

After that incident three years ago, Deidara had only said that a Konoha shinobi was responsible for it. It was hardly surprising that Deidara did not know her identity then, seeing that she had not made a name for herself until recently. Itachi smirked inwardly. Konoha must be… upset by her disappearance, considering the level of her skills. Then again, many highly skilled shinobi chose to be missing-nins, for one reason or another.

Walking silently, they descended the stairs in the dojo which led them to the tunnel. As they neared the underground chamber, Itachi wondered idly why Pein always chose such dark, damp places to gather the Akatsuki.

A sharp inhalation of breath and a muffled curse broke Itachi's train of thought, bringing his steps to a halt. Glancing over his shoulder, he found Deidara bent over with his hands on the rough tunnel wall. The kunoichi was instantly by the blonde Akatsuki's side.

"What is the matter?" he asked calmly.

She laid her hand over Deidara's stomach. "He probably tore some tissues." Softly, she instructed, "Don't move, Deidara. This will be quick."

Itachi stepped closer. "Wait."

Stilling, Sakura shot him a questioning look.

"You should not spend too much chakra before the initiation," he explained. "You would need it then."

She frowned at him. "It won't use up much."

Before he could say another word, her hand began to glow and the healing process commenced.

Itachi could not help but feel rather annoyed at her dismissal of his words. Still, she would only jeopardize herself by her stubbornness, for the initiation process would utilize her chakra heavily. Deciding to leave the kunoichi to her foolishness, he turned away and continued down the tunnel.

When Itachi reached the chamber, he noted that Pein, Konan, Kisame and Tobi were already there. His eyes went towards the cylindrical pedestal placed at the centre of the chamber. A large glowing orb was seated in the middle of it.

"Where are they?" Pein asked as he walked towards the pedestal.

"In the tunnel. They should be here soon."

The other three Akatsuki came forward and took their respective positions around the pedestal. Tobi reached out to touch one of the ten grooves at its edge as the rest of them watched the entrance silently. The subtle sound of footsteps eventually reached them, announcing Deidara's and Sakura's arrival.

"Sorry we're late," the kunoichi apologized as she made her way towards them.

Pein simply nodded. Gesturing to a particular groove in the pedestal, he told the kunoichi, "This one is yours."

Itachi watched as she shifted into position between him and Kisame. Previously, when there had been ten of them, Orochimaru and Zetsu were the ones positioned between him and Kisame.

Konan extended a hand towards Sakura, uncurling her fingers to reveal Orochimaru's ring. "Take this."

The kunoichi picked it up, and then studied it curiously. Raising her eyes to him, she asked, "What does this involve?"

Inclining his head at the orb, Itachi explained, "The purpose of this orb is to link the Akatsuki members. It allows us to communicate over large distances when the situation warrants it. The rings act as an identifier."

Tobi nodded. "And we also need to leave our blood and chakra for it to work. You know, like a signature."

"That is so that someone could not use the ring unless they have been initiated, yeah," Deidara added.

She eyed her ring. "So, since Orochimaru was initiated once, he could still contact you after he left?" she asked.

Kisame snorted at the mention of Orochimaru. "No. The orb only remembers the ones who are present in the most recent initiation."

"That is why Deidara's presence is required," Konan elaborated.

"Just follow what we do," Pein said as he took off his ring. His gaze swept over them. "The rest of you know what to do."

Itachi nodded. Taking out a kunai from its holster, he pressed the tip to his palm until a red line of blood appeared. He then took off his ring and allowed his blood to coat it before he placed the ring in its own groove on the pedestal. Six other rings soon followed, slotting into their respective places.

Fisting his bleeding hand, Itachi raised it above the orb in unison with the rest of the Akatsuki before he pressed it against the smooth curve. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the kunoichi's brief hesitation before she joined in, placing her blood-stained hand beside his. Soon, they would know if she was strong enough to survive this initiation.

Turning his attention back to the orb, Itachi watched impassively as their blood mingled on the orb's surface before it was absorbed. The orb glowed brighter, and what looked like red clouds began to form within its boundaries. It was about to begin.

Pein turned to the kunoichi. "It is best that you don't remove your hand until we say so."

She only nodded, her wide green eyes not leaving the glowing orb.

Soon, Itachi felt the pull on his chakra. The tug was not unpleasant to him, but then again, he had done this before. He glanced towards the kunoichi, noting her furrowed brows. She would be the one who would be affected most, as she was undergoing this ritual for the first time. The orb seemed to require more chakra from those which had no previous contact with it.

A low, humming sound began as the red clouds in the orb spun faster and faster, feeding harder on their chakra. As the kunoichi beside him tensed, Itachi looked sideways again. He could feel the unsteadiness of her chakra beside his. The fluctuation was not encouraging. Would she survive this? In the past, there had been three others who had come this far before they failed the initiation because they had not met its requirements. The outcome had not been pleasant for them.

Their eyes met.

The anxiety in those green depths was evident as the ritual took its toll on her. A myriad of expressions crossed her features, the individual emotions were mostly too rapid for him to identify, except for her hesitation and fear. That was possibly the worst thing she could do at that moment.

Itachi continued to watch as she inhaled deeply. Then, to his surprise, her eyes hardened with determination before she returned her attention back to the orb.

This time, the flow of chakra beside his were steady and strong.

The corner of his lips tilted slightly. By fluke or not, the kunoichi appeared to have figured it out. The orb recognized uncertainty, and react adversely to it. One could not be hesitant, or to fear, for Akatsuki would not accept such a member. Now that she had passed this barrier, she was no longer in any danger.

Soon, the pull began to lessen. The process was now almost complete. Slowly but surely, the red clouds within the orb cleared.

It was done.

Lifting their hands off the orb, they retrieved their rings and took a step back from the pedestal. All except for the kunoichi. She was still standing in the same spot, her blood-stained hand still flattened against the curved surface. The rest of them simply studied her with various expressions of puzzlement.

Deidara, who appeared to almost dead on his feet, was the one who broke the silence. "Hey, you can let go now, yeah."

She did not respond.

How odd, Itachi mused. He took a few steps forward to the pedestal to find that she was still staring at the inactive orb, her expression frozen. Why was she not releasing her hand?

"Is she still alive?" Tobi whispered, his tone tinged with morbid curiosity.

Returning to the pedestal, Kisame tapped her shoulder. "Oi, kunoichi."

She jerked at the contact. Slowly, her hand left the orb to fall to her side and she took a few steps backwards.

Then she swayed.

Itachi caught her arm to pull her upright. Much to his consternation, she slumped further, forcing him to wrap his arm around her waist to support her. When her head rolled onto his chest, he realized that she had fallen unconscious. Tilting her head back, his sharp eyes took in her pale features before he scanned her condition with his Sharingan.

"She is out of chakra," he announced blandly.

"Completely?" Konan asked with a frown.

"Aa."

Pein closed the distance between them, his expression displaying his displeasure. "That shouldn't happen. The ritual should not use up all of her chakra." He directed a questioning look at Konan. "Your research said nothing of her low chakra level."

"Her chakra level is more than sufficient to meet the requirements," Konan replied, looking puzzled. "It's not as high as Kisame's, but-"

"She has enough chakra to keep me on my toes," Kisame interjected. "More than Hidan and Kakuzu."

Deidara cleared his throat uncomfortably. "She was healing me back in the tunnel, yeah. So that's probably why."

Tobi gasped. "Why did you let her do it, Deidara-senpai?"

Deidara bristled.

"It was her choice," Itachi said quietly as he glanced down at the limp body draped over his arm. Foolish girl. She should not have disregarded his warning.

A contemplative look came over Pein as he picked up Orochimaru's ring from the pedestal. Reaching out for the kunoichi's limp left hand, Pein slid the ring onto her little finger. Then he murmured, "Take her to her room. She should be fine after a night's rest."

Itachi nodded.

* * *

A/N: That's it for this chapter. As always, I hope it entertained you. Please review if you could, it'll make my day! **HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

:elle6778:


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

Spoilers: The story follows the canon storyline until the part shortly after the Sasuke-Orochimaru battle (approximately chapter 353). After that, I took liberties with the facts.

A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks for reading. And to Jester08, supersillee06, Goukatenshi, Sanctus Espiritus, aznkitty180, ST Nickolian, Kinkatia, animeismyname, Hao'sAnjul, jHeyTTernallie, cherryblossom94, Dark Darianna Minamino, midnight000shadow, JunJun1990, KagomaruLover88, troublesomefemale and CREAO, thanks for reviewing! I love reading your comments, lol!

Here's the next chapter. Happy reading!

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 4**

Sakura groaned as she cracked her eyes open. Her head pounded and her limbs felt like lead. The bright sunlight light filtering in from the window was not helping at all. Taking deep breaths, she tried to remember what had happened to put her in this state.

Her mind was instantly bombarded by flashes of the initiation ritual. She instantly winced at the memory of the experience. Never in her life had she gone through so much agony in such a short span of time. It had not been painful, per se. But she had never felt her chakra draining out of her so fast and so hard. It was almost as if the orb had wanted to suck the very life out of her. And it probably did, she thought grimly.

She remembered how she had panicked half-way through and was about to pull her hand off the orb, until she glanced sideways at the Uchiha. He looked so composed, so poised compared to her that she had felt the urge to prove that she could do the same. For some reason, that brief glance also reminded her of the reason she was there. That if she failed to get through the initiation into Akatsuki, everything that she, Tsunade, Kakashi and Shikamaru had gone through over the last one and a half years would have been pointless. So she had persevered. Blanking everything out of her mind, she had steeled her resolve and carried on.

But she must have passed out at some point. Still, the fact that she was alive and awake now meant that she survived the ritual, didn't it? The very thought brought a smile to her lips. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Sakura immediately felt a foreign sensation on her left hand. Lifting it up, she gasped when her new Akatsuki ring caught her eyes. Pein had told her that it used to belong to Orochimaru. She made a face at the thought of it. Still, she could not complain because she was now a full-fledged member of the Akatsuki.

And one of her tasks was to capture the hachibi.

She had been hard-pressed to contain her elation when she found out that she was in charge of the hachibi jinchuuriki retrieval. It was good, because then she would be most informed on the operation, meaning that Konoha would be well-informed in turn. With that information, Konoha would have a better chance of foiling the capture attempt. And if that succeeded, the Akatsuki would be weakened.

Shikamaru's backup plans came to mind then. If Konoha was unsuccessful and the hachibi was captured, she would have to move on to the alternative plan. She would have to persuade Pein to allow her to try her theories out on the hachibi and its jinchuuriki. And if the whole thing worked out, she could use it on Naruto if her friend ever get captured. There were so many other 'if's, but Shikamaru had taken her through the alternative plans. She smiled slightly, wondering how Shikamaru had managed to think up so many scenarios for her to work on.

A quick check out of the window told her that it was late morning. Deciding that she had better get up, Sakura swung herself out of her futon and stood up. She immediately grimaced when she realized that she was still wearing the same clothes as last night. Come to think of it, how did she get back in her room in the first place? The last thing she remembered was Kisame tapping her shoulder while he called to her.

Deciding it did not matter, she shrugged and went to the bathroom for a bath. When she emerged in clean clothes, she was very much more awake and her head no longer pounded. While draping her newly washed clothes over the back of a chair, she paused as a strange sensation on her left little finger made her look down.

The ring was glowing.

Curious, she brought it up to peer at it. When nothing happened, she pressed a finger on it. An instantaneous flash went through her mind, telling her that her presence was required in the living room. Mildly alarmed, she dropped her hands only to notice that the glow was gone.

So, that was how the ring acted as a communication device.

Almost automatically now, she ran a check to make sure that all her hidden weapons were secured on her person. As she walked out of the room, heading towards the living room, Sakura wondered when she would be able to find a chance to get a message to Tsunade. It was imperative that her shishou knew that she was in Akatsuki now. What if something went really wrong and she needed to be extracted?

No, she shook herself mentally. This was not the time to be pessimistic. Everything was running smoothly now and she could not foresee any obvious problems as of yet.

Her footsteps were inaudible to the untrained as she continued down the hallway. After a while, the wide shoji screen of the living room loomed before her. When she drew closer to it, voices from within caught her attention. She could have sworn that she heard some harsh words, but when she continued to listen, the tones sounded level and composed. How odd, she thought. Maybe she should come back later.

A slight movement to her right made her tense suddenly. Glancing down at the other hallway, she saw Itachi leaning against the wall, his eyes pinned on her. His chakra seemed to be cloaked. A brief moment of suspicion reached her before her mind rationalized his action as some form of missing-nin paranoia or something. Something he automatically did without much thought. He was probably waiting for Pein as well, she surmised as she made her way to him.

"Itachi-san," she greeted.

"Sakura-san."

"You're here to see Pein too, I see."

He responded with a noncommittal, "Hm." Lifting himself away from the wall, he inclined his head. "I will join you later."

"Okay."

She watched as he walked away, feeling a little confused by Itachi's abruptness. Then she shrugged inwardly. It was probably how Itachi normally acted. After all, he was not the talkative type.

Deciding that she had hung around long enough for Pein to know that she was out there, Sakura returned to the shoji screen which separated the living room from the hallway. To her surprise, before she could reach out to tap on it, the screen slid open to reveal Tobi.

"Oh, Sakura-san!" the masked shinobi greeted cheerfully. "Are you okay now?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, thank you."

He glanced backwards briefly before stepping away from the entrance to the room. "Pein-san is expecting you."

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "What about the rest of you?"

A muffled chuckle sounded behind the mask as Tobi rubbed the back of his head. "He haven't called anyone else yet. We'll join in later when he calls."

"But-" she broke off before she could finish the sentence. Why was Itachi standing out in the hallway if he had not been waiting to see Pein? It seemed a little suspicious to her. Like maybe he was eavesdropping on Pein and Tobi?

Tobi gave her an encouraging nod. "He wants to see you alone first."

All thoughts of Itachi immediately flew out of her mind. Her concern was centered on herself now. Why would Pein want to see her alone? What had she done?

Making sure her expression displayed none of her trepidation, Sakura nodded. "See you later, then."

With that, she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Pein was standing at the other end of the room near the window, his attention fixed on something outside. Uncertain of what she should do, Sakura simply stood there, staring down at the low table surrounded by cushions which separated her from the Akatsuki leader.

A moment passed before Pein turned around with a polite smile. "I trust you've recovered?"

"Yes."

"Good." Gesturing to one of the cushions, he instructed, "Have a seat."

Settling down on the cushion opposite the table, Sakura watched as Pein continued to stand by the window. For a long while, he did not say anything, making her feel acutely uncomfortable. She wracked her mind, desperately trying to remember if she had done anything to blow her cover.

After what seemed like eternity, he turned to face her. "There is something we must speak of."

His level tone did not ease her trepidation. Willing herself to remain calm, Sakura raised a brow. "What is it?"

Pein's unreadable eyes bored into her. "This is not something I address usually, but knowing what I know about Konoha shinobi, I think it is worth mentioning. You may not be aware of this, but you are not expected to risk yourself for other members," he told her.

Rather confused by the suddenness of his words, Sakura ventured cautiously, "Why did you say that, Pein-san?"

"You healed Deidara knowing that your chakra reserves would be depleted. And that, in turn, put yourself at risk during the initiation."

Sakura suppressed the urge to flare up at the Akatsuki leader. How could he expect her to leave Deidara just like that? That guy would not have made it to the cavern if she had not healed him. But Pein's disapproval was clear. While her heart sank, she forcibly kept her expression even. Had she ruined her chance even before she began? Would this trait of hers be her downfall in Akatsuki? But how was she supposed to deal with this? She knew that she had to act, but she might not be able to pull off such a cold-hearted act convincingly.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "I understand." After all, a shinobi was not expected to show such that sort of kindness.

"Do you?" His lips tilted slightly.

She almost rolled her eyes. "I did pass my Academy years, Pein-san. I'm aware of the shinobi guidelines. I just get carried away sometimes, that's all."

However, Pein's reaction was not quite what she had expected. "Perhaps I did not make myself clear." He paused briefly before continuing, "This organization does not seek to restrict its members. Strict rules does not generally suit powerful shinobi. Therefore, individuality is accepted, as long as it does not obstruct Akatsuki's goal. If you wish to heal any of our members, you may do so at your discretion. However, your action yesterday could have resulted in the loss of your life, thus end your usefulness to the Akatsuki."

Oh, so that was what he meant, Sakura realized, relieved that she had not messed up completely. A genuine smile crossed her lips then. "I'll be more careful next time."

He nodded. "Good. Now, I'll call the rest. You should watch so that you can use it when you need to communicate."

With that, Pein turned his attention to his ring. As Sakura watched, he formed a series of seals and then pressed his thumb on the ring, which glowed at the contact. He kept his focus on it until the glow dissipated. Sakura figured that like her wind message, Pein must have been expressing his message telepathically.

Then he released the jutsu and sat back.

Not long afterwards, the other five Akatsuki turned up and the mission briefing began.

"I've received information that the Hidden Mist Village and the Hidden Sound Village are planning to form an alliance."

"Sound? Orochimaru's village?" Kisame asked.

Pein nodded. "Orochimaru's and Kabuto's deaths have weakened the Hidden Sound. And now they are looking to form an alliance with the Hidden Mist to increase their power. If that happens, it will make it harder for us to take over those territories in the future."

"So we'll stop them!" Tobi exclaimed energetically, clapping his hands together.

Sakura blinked at the masked shinobi's exuberance. Where did he get all that energy from? Not to mention that his attitude was not exactly what she had expected of an Akatsuki member.

"Itachi, Kisame, you will handle things on the Hidden Sound end." Turning to her, Pein continued, "Sakura, since Deidara is still not at full capacity, you will go with Tobi to confront the Hidden Mist."

"What?" Deidara instantly protested. "I'm fine now, yeah. So let me go."

Sakura glanced at him sharply. His wounds might have healed, but he was far from fine. "Maybe that is not such a good idea, Deidara-san."

The blonde cast her a glare. "I can deal with it, yeah."

"You're just going to get yourself killed this time," Tobi pointed out. "You don't know when to stop, Deidara-senpai."

Deidara's eyes flashed. "What are you talking about, hmm? I know what I'm doing."

"And maybe this time you'll really blow yourself up," Tobi pressed on relentlessly.

"Tobi, do us all a favor and shut up, yeah," Deidara snapped irritably.

Sakura's lips twitched. These two were obviously the clowns of the organization. A quick glace around told her that everyone else were not amused at the spectacle. Maybe things like this happened on a regular basis. When her eyes landed on an impassive-looking Itachi, her earlier suspicions returned to her. Still, Itachi had been in Akatsuki for a long time, and it did not make sense that he would do anything against them. She frowned inwardly. Maybe she was just reading something that was not there in the first place.

Pein's voice broke her train of thought. "Very well, Deidara. I won't stop you if you really want to go."

Deidara's eyes lighted up in anticipation.

Turning back to the rest, he continued, "The two villages are scheduled to meet in Wave Country in a week. That should give us enough time to get there. Intercept them before they meet. Your task is to make each village think that they are being betrayed by the other. That should be enough to stall the negotiations and raise distrust between them."

Sakura kept her surprise hidden. Wave Country was where Team 7 had completed their first real A-rank, disguised as B-rank mission, the one where Sasuke had almost died fighting Haku. And that was where the villagers had named their new bridge the Great Naruto Bridge. She wondered wistfully if Naruto has seen the bridge yet.

Kisame's voice drew her out of her musings. "So Itachi and I should pretend to be Mist shinobi, and attack the Sound."

Pein nodded in confirmation. "You're familiar with Mist's characteristics after all. You will intercept the Sound before they cross the border into Wave."

Kisame grinned.

"Tobi, Sakura, Deidara the three of you will wait until the Mist enter Wave Country before engaging them. It is not necessary to kill them all. But do enough damage to cause a rift between the two villages, and then leave as soon as you can."

Sakura glanced at Tobi. So both of them were to disguise themselves as Sound shinobi to attack the Mist. Turning her attention to Kisame, she asked, "Can we talk later?"

"Eh?"

"I need as much information as I can get about Mist shinobi. There's no harm in being prepared," she explained.

Kisame inclined his head.

"Are you familiar with the Sound?" Konan asked.

Sakura nodded, "I fought them enough back in my Konoha days to know what they're like."

"Good. If there is nothing else, you will leave now."

* * *

The sun was just beginning to set when they decided to stop and rest in a small, secluded clearing in the forest. The journey from Rain Country to Wave Country was not an easy one, especially considering that they had to travel across the south of Fire Country. They had been on the move for three days and unfortunately, they were still in Fire Country. Even though they had yet to encounter any Leaf shinobi, being in her home country made Sakura nervous. Not to mention they could not even stay in a normal inn because someone was bound to recognize the Akatsuki and report them. 

Sakura sighed as she leaned against a tree trunk. Then she glanced down at her watch before she turned sideways to look at the two sleeping shinobi not far from her. As with the last three nights, they took turns to take watch so that each of them would get some rest. Four hours sleep each was not much, but it was enough to sustain them. After all, they had a deadline.

Getting to her feet, she silently made her way to Deidara. The poor guy had the misfortune to end up with the middle shift, which meant that his four hours sleep was broken. Kneeling down beside him, she reached out to shake him. Before she made contact, his eyes snapped open. Unsurprisingly, there was still wariness in those blue orbs. A quick glance down his body told her that he had his kunai gripped tight in his hand. Even though she had healed him, Deidara was still wary of her. She supposed she could not blame him for distrusting her. After all, she was the one who had killed his partner.

"Your turn," she said quietly.

He simply nodded.

Returning to her previous spot, Sakura sat down and closed her eyes. A small smile crossed her lips when she realized that she, too was holding a kunai tightly in her hand. It must be a missing-nin thing, huh? Trust no one but yourself. Shuffling into a more comfortable position, she took a deep breath, taking in the fresh forest scent and then allowed herself to drift into a light slumber.

It felt like no time had passed at all when she sensed the rapid approach of footsteps. Her eyes snapped open to find Tobi hurrying towards her in the darkness. Deidara was already up, facing away from her, staring into the distance. His tense posture told her that something was wrong.

She stood up just as Tobi reached her.

"Someone's coming," he whispered urgently.

Sakura nodded. It must be the Konoha patrols. Picking up her hat, she quickly put it on and then went swiftly to Deidara's side.

"We need to run, yeah."

She nodded. "There's no other choice, I suppose. Unless we want to fight."

Shaking his head, Deidara said, "No fighting, yeah. If any of us get injured, we won't make it to Wave Country in time."

"Let's go, Deidara-senpai. If you blow anything up here, everyone will come running," Tobi pointed out.

Shooting the masked man an irritated look, Deidara snapped, "I'm not planning to blow anything up, yeah."

Rolling her eyes at the commencement of their usual bickering, Sakura decided to move. Leaping onto a branch, she waited until the other two caught on before she sped away eastwards. Then Sakura's eyes softened as she glanced back over her shoulders. Who was it on patrol, she wondered. Since the patrol was likely to be a mix of jounin and chuunin, it was likely that she knew some of them. A part of her wanted to stay back and hide, just to get a glimpse of her friends, but she knew that it would be a stupid move. There was no need to look for trouble.

So she continued to move forward.

It took them another two days before they finally reached, entering Wave Country disguised as Sound shinobi. Sakura had been hard-pressed to keep her emotions hidden when she crossed the Great Naruto Bridge. They took another one day of much needed rest before they assumed their positions at the shoreline where they awaited the Mist shinobi.

Partially hidden behind a wooden hut at the end of the beach, Sakura peeked out.

"I see their boat," she said in low tones even though there was no way the Mist shinobi could have heard her from that distance.

"They'd better get here fast, yeah," Deidara grumbled, his voice muffled by the white mask over his face.

Sakura turned to the blonde, allowing her eyes to run over his attire. Instead of wasting chakra by performing a jutsu, they had all decided to disguise themselves the old fashioned way. Like the two of them, Deidara was dressed in the Sound white overall, tied at the waist with a thick purple ribbon. All of them wore masks which went over their heads to hide their hair and face. However, Deidara was less than pleased at the attire and had been complaining about it even since he put it on.

Suppressing her grin, Sakura remarked through her own mask, "You look pretty good as a Sound nin."

Tobi piped up. "Deidara-senpai looks funny with that lump behind his head."

Spinning around, Deidara shot him a glare. "If you don't have anything useful to say, don't say anything at all, yeah."

Sakura's eyes went to the back of Deidara's head. The blonde had pulled on his mask over his ponytail, which resulted in an odd lump under the mask at the back of his head. "Tobi has a point, you know," she pointed out with a straight face.

Deidara's eyes narrowed. After a moment, he pulled the mask off. Without a word, he tugged at the tie holding his ponytail up until his blonde hair cascaded over his shoulders. With his hair down, he looked even more effeminate, if not for the dark glower gracing his features. For some reason, Sakura's fingers itched to touch those golden strands. But before she could give in to her urge, Deidara pulled the mask back on, concealing his face and hair.

Beaming, Tobi nodded in approval. "Much better, don't you think, Sakura-san?"

Sakura bit her lips to stifle her smile at the sulky furrow between Deidara's brows. "Definitely."

"Can we go now?" Deidara snapped irritably.

Turning her attention back to their mission, Sakura peered out at the sea again. The boat carrying the Mist nins was on the shore already. It looked like they were not waiting for the boat to fully dock, Sakura noted as she watched the Mist shinobi jump off the boat one after another. A quick count told her that there were around ten of them.

She held her breath and continued to watch as they stepped on the beach.

A moment later, a series of explosions erupted from the sand where the explosive tags had been buried earlier, throwing half of their numbers into the air.

"It worked!" Tobi exclaimed excitedly.

Deidara straightened, his eyes gleaming. "Let's go."

With a nod, Sakura streaked out of their shelter, purposely exposing themselves to the remaining five Mist shinobi. The aim was to NOT fight, seeing that Deidara could not use his exploding clay, and she could not use her monstrous chakra-based strength without giving their identities away. So they ran. The furious shouts behind them was enough to tell Sakura that the Mist shinobi were giving chase.

"I hate running, yeah," Deidara muttered as he ran. "We should just blow them all up and fly away."

"No, Deidara-senpai," Tobi immediately protested. "That's not a good idea at all."

Sakura almost laughed when she saw the irritated look on Deidara's face. Sometimes it really seemed like Tobi was deliberately trying to rile his blonde partner. But before she could say anything to them, she sensed two Mist Shinobi catching up.

Skidding to a halt, she spun around to face the newcomers. She watched as a Mist shinobi landed before her, his jagged teeth bared in a snarl. Careful to remind herself to just use typical shinobi techniques, Sakura slid out a handful of shuriken from her pouch. In a blink of an eye, the blades spun out towards the shinobi, but he managed to avoid it. Launching into the air, Sakura executed a fake kick at him before she released her hidden senbon. This time, the Mist shinobi did not escape in time, and a long needle pierced his pale blue skin in the arm. The fast acting paralysis serum coating the senbon rendered him motionless in seconds.

Spinning around, she found Tobi and Deidara finishing off their own opponents. The red stain on Tobi's arm told her that he was cut, but it did not seem serious. Glancing back, she saw another two Mist shinobi heading towards them.

"Let's go!" Deidara urged. "We need to move."

"I'll heal you when we get to somewhere safe," she told Tobi.

"Thank you, Sakura-san!"

And they continued to run.

* * *

Itachi watched impassively as the last of the Sound shinobi retreated away from them. Once they were out of sight, he released the genjutsu disguising him and Kisame. 

The Sound shinobi's skill level had not improved from the last time he and Kisame had encountered them. It had resulted in a swift battle, the type which Itachi appreciated. He did not like to waste time unnecessarily. His bloodthirsty partner, however, felt differently.

"That was a little disappointing," Kisame remarked as they moved away from the border.

"It was sufficient."

Kisame glanced up at the sky. "We're a little late."

"Aa."

They were meant to join the rest for a meeting about an hour ago, but was delayed as the Sound shinobi had turned up late. Nevertheless, Itachi knew that the rest would wait. Swiftly, he and Kisame made their way east along Wave Country's northern border until they found a secluded area.

Clasping his hands together and closing his eyes, Itachi formed the necessary seals to activate the communication jutsu.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the chamber in Rain Country where the initiations had taken place a week ago. The other five Akatsuki members were already there.

Pein nodded a greeting at him. "You're here. We can begin now. The other team successfully sidetracked the Mist. How did Sound go?"

"They are now under the impression that Mist attacked them," Itachi explained.

"Well done. Konan will keep an eye on those two villages for now. In the meantime, something else came up."

"Another mission?" Kisame asked.

Pein confirmed it with a nod, and then turned to the kunoichi. "Sakura. You will join Itachi and Kisame this time. It'll give us all a better idea of where to put you on a permanent basis."

The kunoichi nodded as Itachi exchanged a glance with Kisame. This would be one of the rare times they would team up with another shinobi. Itachi could not help but wonder if it would be better he and Kisame were alone.

Kisame turned to the kunoichi. "Make sure you don't hold us back."

Itachi could see her bristle at Kisame's words. The rest of them turned to the pair, obviously waiting to see how this would play out. After observing Kisame's and Sakura's last few interactions, the rest of them expected more sparks. Unsurprisingly, Sakura did not waste a moment in responding to Kisame's words.

"That's rich, coming from someone who can't deal with a little headache," she mocked.

"You got lucky that time, kunoichi."

She raised a brow. "Oh? Are you saying that you can do better than that, Shark-Face?"

Kisame snorted. "You haven't seen anything yet."

"Is that a challenge, then?" she shot back.

"You bet your pretty ass it is," Kisame growled threateningly.

"You're on." Eyes gleaming in obvious anticipation, the kunoichi broke out in a grin.

As Kisame bared his jagged teeth in response, Itachi resisted the urge to shake his head. Nothing good would come out of the battle, for it was clear that neither of them would stop until the other was fully subdued. Still, it would amusing to watch. As long as it did not disrupt their missions. Or his own goals.

Itachi's line of thought was broken by Pein's next words. "You may wish to postpone your battle until after this mission." Their leader sounded amused.

"I want to watch too," Tobi declared in an excited voice.

Deidara interjected impatiently, "Enough with this battle, yeah. So what are we doing?"

"Sakura will go with Itachi and Kisame. You and Tobi will return to Rain and wait for further instructions," Pein instructed. "There is something I need you two to do."

"What is our task?" Itachi asked.

"Your target is a transporter who is traveling towards the Tea Country. He's delivering a scroll which contains a high level protection jutsu to the Daimyou. You will retrieve this scroll and then bring it back to Rain Country. At the moment, Tea Country is in a rather unstable state and we cannot allow them to raise their defences using such power."

Itachi nodded. Tea Country was one of their targets for takeover and they needed to ensure that when their plans commenced, the country was unable to fight back.

"Any guards?" the kunoichi asked.

Pein nodded. "The transporter is likely to be heavily guarded. Rumor is, he hired some rogue shinobi."

"It shouldn't be too difficult then, since they won't have any back-up," Kisame remarked.

"Hm."

"There is something else. The scroll is sealed to him for the duration of the travel, and you will need a certain type of tag to break the seal. Konan will deliver the tags to you. Where are you now, Itachi?"

"We are north of Wave Country," Itachi said.

"Deidara?"

"Mist was after us, so we didn't hang around in Wave for long, yeah. So now we at the east side of Fire Country," Deidara explained.

Knowing that he and Kisame had to regroup with their third member, Itachi turned to the kunoichi. "Are you close to the port city?"

She nodded. "A few hours away."

"We will meet you there."

Soon, the meeting was adjourned and they returned to their respective bodies. Itachi opened his eyes and stood up, glancing briefly to the side to find Kisame doing the same. The slight disorientation which usually came with this form of communication was present, but Itachi ignored it.

"We should arrive around the same time as the kunoichi, from the looks of it," Kisame remarked as they began to head towards their destination.

"Aa."

Grinning, Kisame added, "One more mission and I'll get to beat that mouthy kunoichi to a pulp."

Not pausing in his steps, Itachi cast his partner a sideway glance. "It is unlikely to be that easy."

"I was caught off guard the last time."

"Hm."

In Itachi's opinion, the kunoichi was fully capable of holding her own against the Mist shinobi. But he decided that it would be prudent to avoid the mention of such a contentious fact. Even though Sakura's chakra level was lower than Kisame's, Itachi had a feeling that the kunoichi was not the type to give up until she spent the last of her energy. She was stubborn once she set her mind on something, such as the time she had insisted on healing Deidara after he had specifically warned her against it.

After a moment of silence, Kisame mused, "I wonder how many of us will be sent to back her up for the jinchuuriki retrieval. Zetsu couldn't handle him. Deidara and Tobi were just as bad."

"We will see."

The topic of the jinchuuriki brought his own ultimate quest to Itachi's mind. One way or another, things would be brought to its conclusion soon. The capture of the hachibi jinchuuriki would mark another milestone. He had been patiently biding his time over the last ten years or so, and Itachi had no doubt that what he sought would be within his grasp once the kyuubi was extracted. Perhaps even sooner.

All that was needed from him at this stage was patience.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to rise, casting bright rays across the landscape. 

Hidden behind the dense foliage of the tree they were currently perched on, Sakura peeked through the gaps between the leafs. They had been there for hours, waiting for the right time. Right now, their target was moving out of the forest into the open. It looked like they were heading for the main road, and that would be where she, Itachi and Kisame would launch the attack. Out in the open like that, they would have less places to hide, less protection.

She did not realize that the Akatsuki actually carried out such _normal_ missions. Sure she was usually on the other side of the fence, but still, it seemed like such a mundane thing for those like Itachi.

"Ready?" Kisame asked as the transporter began to travel on the main road.

"Hm."

Sakura nodded.

They were about to emerge when three streaks suddenly appeared from the opposite direction, heading straight for the transporter and his entourage. Sakura's eyes widened. Those looked like ANBU, but in that distance, she could not tell where they were from. A moment later, those three figures were engaged in a furious battle with the eight escorts.

"What the hell?!" Kisame growled, his brows furrowed.

"Is someone else after the same thing?" Sakura asked, slightly concerned about the unexpected turn of events. What did this mean for them?

"Three of us battling eleven shinobi would be foolish," Itachi intoned levelly. "The latecomers are ANBU."

She glanced sideways at him to find him staring intently at the battle. "Still, we can't retreat, right?"

"We will wait."

Sakura blinked in confusion, then she realized what he meant. "I see. We'll wait until the ANBU takes down most of them before we move in."

"Aa."

Remaining hidden, Sakura continued to watch the battle from the distance. Although she could not see that well, the speed of the forms blurring about in the fight told her that the newcomers were more skilled and were gaining the upper hand.

"They are not after the scroll," Itachi suddenly said.

Sakura glanced sharply at the Uchiha. How could he tell?

Then comprehension dawned and she made a face. It figured that he would be able to tell what was going on with that Sharingan of his. She could only wish that she had such a natural advantage. But if she really wanted to see, she supposed she could use one of her jutsu, just that it would probably be a waste of chakra.

Unaware of her perusal, Itachi was still staring intently at the battle in the distance. It was then that she suddenly realized that she was no longer so wary of those crimson orbs. When did this happen? Her brows furrowed slightly. She could not afford to let her guard down, even though they were supposedly on the same side. She could get herself killed if she was not careful.

Her attention drifted away from the Sharingan to be caught on his lashes. Itachi had the thickest, longest black lashes she had even seen on a man. It was almost unfair, she thought irritably. And it was not only his lashes that were eye-catching. The rest of him was as well. If they were not enemies, she would be forced admit that he was disconcertingly attractive.

"Sakura-san."

Sakura bit back a shriek when she realized that Itachi was staring right at her, his expression questioning. Hoping that he had not caught her staring, she swallowed and spoke levelly, "Yes?"

"Is something the matter?" Itachi asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" she responded, forcing her voice to remain calm.

"You were staring," he pointed out blandly.

"Oh." Mortified at being caught, her face warmed as her mind scrambled for a feasible excuse, and then she quickly said, "I was just wondering how you managed to see that they were not after the scroll. Then I realized it must be your Sharingan."

Itachi contemplated her silently as she held her breath. She was about to fidget in discomfort under his piercing stare when help came in the form of the Mist shinobi.

"So why are they here?" Kisame asked curiously.

Itachi did not say anything for a moment, but he broke their eye contact. When he finally spoke, there was a tinge of amusement in his tone. "They seem to be after one of the rogue shinobi escorts."

Kisame chuckled. "Lucky for us."

Thankful for the change of topic, Sakura grinned. "What, Shark-Face? Afraid of a little battle?"

The look Kisame shot her was dark. "I'm just concerned that you might get your pretty ass kicked, and I have to carry you all the way back."

"As if," she shot back with a derisive snort. "You're the one who have to watch your head, just in case someone out there knows medical jutsu."

He glowered at her. "You won't be talking like this once we're done with our challenge."

Knowing that it would infuriate him further, Sakura cast him a wide smile. "We'll see."

"That enough," Itachi interjected in a quiet but authoritative voice, forcing their attention to him. Then he inclined his head towards their target. "Look."

It only took one second for Sakura to comprehend the situation.

"We're spotted," Kisame remarked. A slow grin spread across his face. "It's time to move, eh, Itachi-san?"

"Aa."

Entire body tensed in preparation for the pending battle, Sakura nodded. This was it. As one, they jumped out from their hiding place and streaked towards their target. The three ANBU were heading towards them, rapidly closing the distance between them.

Sakura froze as she caught sight of a familiar flash of spiky blonde hair.

"It can't be…" she whispered almost soundlessly.

Then the ANBU landed in front of them, dropping a bound, unconscious body at their feet. Their target, she presumed absently before returning her attention to their familiar attire. All three of them were clad in the standard issue Konoha ANBU uniforms and their faces were hidden behind feline-like masks. But there was no mistaking the spiky blonde hair, or the shock of silver hair on the heads of two of the ANBUs.

Naruto and Kakashi.

Seeing that Naruto and Kakashi were there, the third black-haired one must be Sai. Since when did Team Kakashi became an ANBU squad? Her eyes traveled over Naruto's form, thinking that her friend must be overjoyed by his achievement. She should not be surprised at the development, really. After all, they had both passed the jounin exam a little more than two years ago, when they were just sixteen, and she had left Konoha a few months before she turned seventeen.

But why must Team Kakashi be the one assigned to this mission?

She grimaced inwardly. Naruto would not take this too well once he realized who was standing in front of him. Hell, she did not even want to think of what Naruto's, Kakashi's and Sai's reactions would be. But there was nothing she could have done to warn her sensei about this, since she hadn't been able to get away long enough to send a message.

"This looks like it might turn ugly," Kisame remarked in an almost gleeful tone.

"Aa," Itachi agreed.

That was an understatement, alright. She swallowed hard as Itachi and Kisame reached up with their hands. Her nervousness increased tenfold when the two shinobi flanking her took off their pointed hats. Right now, with her hat on, Naruto would not see her face. But if she took hers off…

Itachi's quiet voice broke into her thoughts. "Remove it."

Her heart plunged into the pit of her stomach. She had no choice. Slowly, she reached up and then, with a firm move, yanked the hat off her head to reveal herself.

A collective gasp immediately sounded from the Konoha team. All of her friends looked stunned, even Kakashi. The silence was thick as they stared at her disbelievingly.

Naruto was the first one to find his voice.

"S-Sakura-chan?"

* * *

A/N: And here's the first cliffie for this story, lol! As always, I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Please review if you can, the encouragement is always appreciated! Thanks! 

:elle6778:


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

Spoilers: The story follows the canon storyline until the part shortly after the Sasuke-Orochimaru battle (approximately chapter 353). After that, I took liberties with the facts.

A/N: Hi there everyone! Dark Darianna Minamino, Jester08, supersillee06, Sanctus Espiritus, Mrs.UchihaItachi-hime, aznkitty180, animeismyname, cherryblossom94, midnight000shadow, staring.out.my.flooded.wind, taylor, Kinkatia, yo, Red n Black Roses, emina, tuffyluffy, Kayamie1224, Hidden Ink, troublesomefemale, AnimeSenko, KagomaruLover88, Blueberry Babe and Anonymous – Thanks so much for the reviews, I'm so happy you like the story, even though not all of you liked the cliffie, lol! Anyway, here's the next installment. Please enjoy!

* * *

**The Contentious Heart ****by elle6778 – Chapter 5**

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto whispered, his tone displaying his disbelief. His troubled blue gaze flicked from her towards her two Akatsuki teammates before returning to her. "You are…" he trailed off uncertainly.

Sakura fervently wished that she was somewhere else. The last thing she needed on her first mission with Itachi and Kisame, the mission where she had to prove herself to them, was the presence of Naruto and the rest. Especially with that lost, bewildered on Naruto's face. What must Naruto be thinking, seeing her with those who sought to kill him?

Wearing a pained expression, Naruto swallowed. "You are with… Akatsuki."

This was hard, much harder than before. She could only stand there, frozen to the spot as Naruto began to tremble, his hands clenched into fists by his side. The look on Naruto's face told her clearly that he felt betrayed, and her heart twisted at the sight. It was physically painful to see Naruto like this. She wanted to shout out, to tell him not to worry, that she was still on his side. If only he knew how much she wanted to rush over to hug him, to tell him that this was just part of an elaborate act.

But she knew she could not. Because this was far too important to mess up, even though she understood fully how Naruto felt. After all, she had felt the same way when Sasuke had tried to kill them. Even though what she was doing now was different from Sasuke, Naruto did not know. Maybe one day, when everything came out in the open, Naruto would understand and forgive her for hurting him like this.

"Cat got your tongue, kunoichi?" Kisame asked quietly beside her.

Trust the Shark-Face to come up with such an inane comment. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes, Sakura muttered back, "I have nothing to say."

Kisame snorted. "Surely you have something to say to your Leaf friends."

She scowled at him. "Even if I do, it's none of your business."

The Mist shinobi chuckled before turning his attention to Naruto. "So, what is Leaf doing here?"

Before Naruto could say a word, Kakashi held up a restraining hand. His tone deceptively smooth, Kakashi asked instead, "I could ask you the same thing."

"We are not here for the same thing, Hatake," Itachi pointed out quietly. "Let us finish our business without interference."

"That is not possible," Kakashi declared as he reached up to reveal his Sharingan.

"Stop talking and give Sakura back to us!" Naruto snarled at Itachi.

Sakura cringed inwardly, but she forced herself to speak. "I joined them willingly, Naruto."

Naruto's expression changed. He looked positively enraged as he pointed an accusing finger at her. "Why, Sakura? I don't understand why you're doing this. Running off is not bad enough that you have to join these bastards? WHY?!"

Her voice was surprisingly calm when she replied, "I'm a missing-nin. No one forced me to leave Konoha, it's my choice. And that means I can work with anyone I chose."

"But this is AKATSUKI! They are murderers!" he protested vehemently, while the two other Konoha shinobi watched the unfolding scene with grim expressions.

Sakura really did not want to hear anymore, but she knew that she had to let this conversation play out. "We are all murderers. That's what we do. Are you trying to tell me you haven't killed anyone, Naruto?"

Naruto tensed visibly at her words. A heavy silence descended upon them as they stared at each other. She could see the myriad of emotions flashing across Naruto's blue eyes, but she could not ease his concerns.

Itachi was the one who broke the silence. "We're not here to fight you. Let us conclude our task and we will leave."

Kakashi pinned his mismatched eyes on them. "You and Sakura are Konoha's missing-nins. We cannot let you do that."

"Even though you're not our mission, we have to capture you," Sai added, speaking for the first time during the encounter.

Kisame snorted derisively. "Big talk for a skinny squirt."

"Don't underestimate him," Sakura said flatly. "He's very skilled."

Itachi cast her a thoughtful look. "Hm."

Naruto's expression was accusing when he flared out, "So, you're really on their side now. What else have you been telling them, huh, Sakura-_chan_? My weaknesses? How to capture the kyuubi?"

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Sakura said in a hard voice, "They don't need me to tell them anything. And I don't want to fight any of you in the first place. We just want to be left alone."

"You cannot expect us to let you walk away just like that," Sai remarked mildly.

"I have every intention of finishing my mission, Sai," Sakura declared tersely. "So if you want to fight, then I'll show you a fight."

Eyes narrowing, Naruto bared his elongating fangs. "I'm giving you a last chance, Sakura. Come back here and forget all about Akatsuki."

Sakura shook her head firmly. "I can't do that, Naruto."

"Then I won't hold back!" he snarled. His eyes began to bleed red. "I'll defeat you and then drag you back to Konoha!"

A bitter taste invaded the back of her throat. So, it had come to this, she thought sadly. She had to fight her best friend so that she could have a chance of saving him. Taking a deep breath, she took a step forward only to feel a stilling hand on her shoulder. She did not need to turn around to know that Itachi was the one restraining her.

"Leave him to me," the Uchiha murmured.

"I can handle it," she bit out.

"You will fight Hatake."

Her eyes widened. Itachi wanted her to fight Kakashi?

"What, kunoichi? You think you can't handle the Copy Ninja?" Kisame taunted with a grin.

She shot him a dark look, promising herself to pound him into the ground the next time they fought. Then maybe he would quit all his snide remarks. "Just watch me, Shark-Face."

But before she could make a move towards Kakashi, a familiar form blurred towards her.

"Naruto!" Kakashi shouted, with no avail.

Sakura flipped out of the way just in time to avoid a blow from Naruto's fist. Landing on bent knees, she automatically sprung into a defensive stance. Naruto's eyes never left her as he performed his signature clone jutsu, leaving her facing three of them.

Sakura grimaced, knowing that this would not be an easy battle, physically or emotionally.

Not when Naruto was wearing that purposeful, unrelenting expression.

* * *

Kakashi groaned inwardly, exasperated beyond belief. Things could not get any worse, with Naruto charging forward in his usual reckless style. Still, the blonde's reaction was completely understandable. The scenario was eerily similar to Sasuke's retrieval, and Naruto was obviously fueled by his emotions.

Although Kakashi knew that this encounter was inevitable, he could not help but wish that he had some warning beforehand. Seeing Sakura standing between those Akatsuki like she fully belonged there had rendered him mute for a while. Even though this was the purpose of their plan, he had to admit that it was still an unnerving sight. When had she made it in? The last they had heard of her was when she was approached by the Akatsuki known as Konan, which had occurred weeks ago.

The lack of communication was probably because she had not been able to get away to send a message. For Kakashi would not believe that Sakura had betrayed them, however she appeared so just minutes ago. Her acting skills had improved so much that she almost had him convinced.

And it looked like her acting skills were not the only thing which had improved, Kakashi mused as he studied the way Sakura dodged Naruto's attacks before retaliating swiftly. Across the other side, the two other Akatsuki were also observing the battle. The last time he had seen Sakura fight was almost a year ago when Naruto had caught up with her. She had not displayed much of her skills at that time, if he recalled correctly. Instead, Sakura had used a shape-shifting jutsu on her bugs and then ran away.

But this time, she could not do the same thing without raising suspicions. She had to fight, and not for the first time, Kakashi wondered how he had missed her potential in her genin years. Taijutsu and ninjutsu seemed to be her primary skills right now, from what he could tell. She had even successfully signed a contract with a summon. But he was still convinced that she had an aptitude for genjutsu. Idly, he wondered if she would display any new genjutsu skills today.

Kakashi continued to watch as Naruto's bunshins popped out of existence under Sakura's kicks, leaving her to face the real one. Face twisted in a heartrending mix of anger and sadness, Naruto threw a handful of shuriken and then charged at her. Sakura grimaced, deflecting his shuriken with her own before executing a substitution jutsu to avoid being hit by Naruto's fists.

Appearing some distance away, Sakura gritted out darkly, "That's enough, Naruto. I told you I don't want to fight."

Slowly, Naruto shook his head. "You're not giving me a choice, Sakura."

"Despite what you think, I'm not your enemy!" she declared hotly.

"No, Sakura. You're not my enemy. You are Konoha's enemy. But that's not why I'm doing this. I'm doing this because I don't…" Naruto's voice hitched. "Because I don't want to lose another friend."

Kakashi frowned, worried that they might end up saying something to make the Akatsuki suspicious. Both of them were very emotional right now and there was no telling what might happen next. As it was, the pink-haired kunoichi looked as if she was about to cry.

"N-Naruto. Please don't do this," she whispered. "I can't go back with you."

"Please, Sakura," Naruto appealed, looking agonized.

A choked sound escaped Sakura, and then she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Naruto. You're just going to have to let me go."

Naruto's eyes flashed. "You can think again if you think I'm going to give up so easily," the blonde shot back.

Naruto began to form a series of hand seals, and Kakashi watched as Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. She was not the only one who had improved over the last year. In his desperate quest to find his friends, Naruto had gone all out to improve his own skills. This particular jutsu was something Kakashi had copied from Kakuzu and then modified to suit their abilities. Sakura had better be prepared to counter it, or the consequences would not be pretty.

"Fuuton: Atsugai!" Naruto shouted with the last seal, and then flung his palms out.

The wind pressure around them skyrocketed.

Kakashi caught a glimpse of Sakura being thrown against a nearby tree before he dropped to his knees to brace himself against the wind. Beside him, Sai had done the same. A loud crack sounded then, drawing Kakashi's attention to the fighting pair. He raised a brow in surprise when he realized the defense Sakura had come up with.

A pile of rock rubble stood between her and Naruto, shielding her from the worst of Naruto's wind pressure attack. She must have cracked the rock with her fist and then forced the rubble out of the ground with her chakra, something which could only be done with precise chakra control.

Naruto must have realized that his attack was futile, for he lowered his hands with a hiss of frustration. The wind slowly receded.

"She's strong."

Getting to his feet, Kakashi glanced sideways at Sai. The ANBU Root was staring at Sakura expressionlessly.

"Why wasn't she this strong back in Konoha?" Sai asked thoughtfully, almost as if he was speaking to himself.

Kakashi turned his attention back to Sakura. Sai had a point. Even though the intensive training had improved her skills prior to her departure more than a year ago, the level of her skills at the end of the training had been much lower than what he was seeing now. It was clear that this exponential development in her skills was contributed by the countless missions she had carried out as a lone missing-nin. He would not have believed that it was possible if he had not seen it with his own eyes. It was obvious that she was in her element, being out there like that.

A frisson of trepidation coursed through him then. What if Sakura decided that she preferred to remain as she was? He knew that it was unlikely that she would chose to betray Konoha, but what if she did not want to return? He had heard of and seen such occurrences, where shinobi who had a taste of freedom preferred to remain outside instead of being tied down to a tight schedule which they had no control of. Those either became missing-nins, or ended up like Jiraiya. Sakura must be affected by now, seeing that she had been independent for more than a year, and had grown much stronger while doing so.

Would Sakura eventually choose that path?

"We have to bring her back," Sai said blandly.

Deciding to distract Sai before he got it into his head to help Naruto to defeat Sakura, Kakashi nudged towards the other two Akatsuki. "We have to take care of them first."

"Yes," Sai agreed.

A flash of movement caught Kakashi's eyes, drawing his attention back to Naruto and Sakura. Both were holding kunai now, and were charging towards each other. Judging from their expressions, it looked as if they were beginning to lose their grip on their emotions, Kakashi thought anxiously as he watched Sakura execute a backflip to avoid Naruto. Then she immediately retaliated by throwing a handful of shuriken at him. The blonde managed to dart out of the way, but Sakura seemed to have anticipated his movement. Kakashi's expression turned grim when he saw Sakura's glowing hands. She was aiming to use her medical techniques on Naruto.

"What? You're going to try to kill me like Sasuke now?" Naruto taunted harshly, but there was no mistaking the hurt in his eyes.

"I'm not Sasuke, just remember that," Sakura hissed angrily.

"No." He paused before continuing in a harder voice. "You're worse. At least Sasuke has a good reason for leaving."

Kakashi watched with a sinking feeling as Sakura paled. There was nothing he could do to stop Naruto from saying all those hurtful things, thinking that it was true. Their emotions were running high, and with that, their tongues became more unrestrained.

Unfortunately, Naruto was not finished. Pointing at Itachi, Naruto shouted, "Sasuke just wants to get strong enough to kill that bastard! That same bastard that you're working with now. You just want power for the sake of power. And you're not even thinking of using that power to help your friends. So tell me, Sakura… Who is worse?"

Kakashi held his breath as the atmosphere became even heavier. This was not a good topic of conversation to have in front of the other two Akatsuki. He knew that Sakura would try her best to keep her cover, but they might end up saying something which would compromise Sakura's position in the Akatsuki.

Finally, after a long while, Sakura spoke. Her voice was strained when she bit out, "Don't talk about things you're not fully aware of, Naruto."

"So explain to me! I want to know what went wrong!"

Sakura's eyes were gleaming with some unnamed emotion. "What's wrong? I don't want you to treat me like Sasuke. I don't want you to spend all your time hunting for me the way you've done for Sasuke. I can take care of myself, and I happen to like living like this."

Kakashi's eyes widened at her confirmation of his earlier thoughts.

"Go look for Sasuke if you want to, I don't care. He should be enough for you anyway, if you ever manage to drag him back to Konoha. You don't need me, I'm the weak member of Team 7 remember? The one who needs to be protected all the time, the one that was always left behind. Forget I exist, Naruto, and just get on with your life without me."

As Naruto reeled back in disbelief, Kakashi sucked in a sharp breath. A stab of guilt coursed through him then when her words registered fully. It was his fault that Sakura felt as if she was left behind, not Naruto's. Kakashi could admit now that he should have paid more attention to her back then. Sakura's words were harsh, especially delivered in such a cold, emotionless tone. Still, Kakashi knew that however harsh her words were, Naruto would not be swayed. Both Sasuke and Sakura were Naruto's important people and nothing would change that.

"I see." Naruto's voice was shaky. "You got it wrong, Sakura. I don't think you're weak." He took a deep breath. "But however strong you are, you can't stop me from wanting to protect you."

Sakura stared at him wordlessly.

Naruto's expression became hard. "So I don't have any choice but to do this," he declared as he began to mold chakra in one palm.

Kakashi's eyes widened in alarm. Surely Naruto was not planning to use Rasengan on Sakura. He could not allow this. Just when he was about to interfere, a streak of black and red shot towards the fighting pair. Eyes narrowing, Kakashi darted forward only to be intercepted by a grinning Mist shinobi.

"I'm afraid I can't let you pass, Hatake."

"Get out of my way," Kakashi bit out. He glanced beyond the Kisame to see Itachi heading straight for Naruto. Against both Itachi and Sakura, there was no telling what might happen to Naruto.

Kisame raised a brow. "Then I should make you choose, shouldn't I?"

With that, the Mist shinobi darted towards Sai.

* * *

Naruto should really practice forming the Rasengan a little quicker, Sakura thought with an inward frown. Even though he could do it with one hand now, she had seen it coming soon enough that she was able to read the move and prepare for it. A substitution jutsu would do the trick.

She was about to do that when someone blurred between them.

Itachi, she realized with surprise.

The Uchiha streaked past her and Sakura had to swallow a gasp when Itachi's foot connected with Naruto, sending him flying across the dirt road. The half-formed Rasengan fizzled out immediately and she winced involuntarily as her friends landed hard, skidding to a halt some distance away. Naruto healed fast, she kept telling herself, suppressing the urge to rush across to help him. She had held back during their fight, but she knew that Itachi would not do the same.

"Go," Itachi instructed without taking his eyes off Naruto, who was pushing himself to his feet. "Hatake is your opponent."

Sakura hesitated, deliberating if she should disobey and continue to 'fight' Naruto. But it was clear that Itachi would not allow it. There was nothing else she could do.

"Now," he pressed.

Resigned to it, she nodded.

With that, she turned around and darted towards Kakashi, noting that Kisame had engaged Sai in a battle. Kakashi looked as if he was about to go to Sai when he noticed her. Then to her surprise, her sensei darted away from the battle site. Hoping that she could pull this off this fight convincingly, Sakura chased after him.

They skidded to a halt some distance away, just at the outer edge of a forest, observing each other warily. The fight had not begun yet and her heart was already thudding rapidly against her ribs. She knew that it was not due of any over-exertion, but more the fact that she did not want to fight Kakashi, or any of her friends. That fight between her and Naruto had given her enough of a heartache.

"What are you waiting for, Sakura?"

Sakura swallowed at the sound of Kakashi's voice. He sounded so cold, so uncaring. It was as if he was disappointed in her, that she had failed him somehow. That could not be true, right? Because Kakashi knew why she was there with the Akatsuki. But she had no chance to send them a message, so was it possible that he really thought she had betrayed Konoha?

"Sakura." This time, there was a tinge of warning in his tone.

Brushing all her thoughts aside, Sakura forced herself to concentrate on the battle. Gritting her teeth, she focused her chakra and drew back her fist. A cry escaped her lips as she slammed her fist down to the ground, sending fractures and shockwaves radiating away from her.

Unsurprisingly, Kakashi leapt up into the air and then landed some distance away, completely unharmed. Her sensei knew her moves too well.

"I'm disappointed, Sakura. Is that all you can do?" he taunted flatly. "Don't you remember your last bell test?"

At first she bristled, and then she realized that it was Kakashi's way of telling her something. They were still close enough such that the rest could see them. She had to fight for real unless she wanted to blow her cover. It meant that she had to go at him as if she wanted to kill him. Flexing her fingers in determination, she pinned an uncompromising look on her sensei.

"I'm just getting warmed up, Kakashi-sensei."

"I'm no longer your sensei, Sakura," he pointed out dryly. "And you are fully aware that you have surpassed me."

Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted Itachi ducking out of the way of Naruto's Rasengan. A sad chuckle escaped her as their battle took them further away from the rest. "That would be the day."

Lifting his hands, he quirked a brow. "Oh? I suppose we'll see how well you handle this."

Sakura blinked in astonishment at the speed of his seals.

"Katon: Karyuu Endan."

Kakashi opened his mouth and a large jet of fire shot towards her.

Oh hell! She really hated fire jutsu. Quickly performing a Kawarami-no-Jutsu, she exchanged herself with a nearby log. When she reappeared a safe distance away, her eyes landed on the incinerated piece of log. That was close, she thought with relief.

In a blink of an eye, a blur streaked towards her, surprising her with its speed. Then, a chirping sound filtered through the air and Sakura gasped at the bright, sparking orb cradled in Kakashi's hand. No way he was using _that_ on her! No way he was using _Chidori_ on her!

She barely had time to think before he was upon her. Filling her hands with chakra, she reached out to throw his arm away. But Kakashi saw her move and immediately twisted out of the way. A cry of pain bursting from her lips when the lightning attack grazed her left hip. She had deflected him but it was not enough.

Then the chirping sound stopped.

Panting with the combination of exertion and trepidation, Sakura glared at Kakashi, who did not seem affected at all by the fact that he could have seriously harmed her. The stinging sensation at her hip almost brought tears to her eyes as she pressed her hand in an attempt to heal it. Hell, he could have _killed_ her with that move.

Then her eyes widened in alarm when she suddenly realized that she had left herself wide open. Before she could gather her wits, Kakashi's shoulder rammed hard into her stomach, sending both of them flying away from the main battlefield and into the dense growth of the forest. Sakura's eyes widened just a moment before she hit the mossy ground. Her breath squashed out of her, she could only gasp breathlessly. Absently, she noted that Kakashi was definitely _not_ light, despite his slender form.

Then she heard his quiet voice in her ear, "Now we're far enough from them to talk."

Sakura blinked in surprise as Kakashi shifted to look into her face. Her throat immediately constricted with emotion. It had been so long since she had been so close to someone from home. His mismatched eyes were so painfully familiar.

"Kakashi-sensei…"

His eyes creased in a smile. "Well done, Sakura. We're proud of you. But you have to be more careful from now on. No more hesitation like just now."

"I know," she murmured. Kakashi's earlier coldness had been nothing but an act. Her heart warmed at the confirmation that her sensei did not hate her. She inhaled sharply, and when she spoke again, her voice cracked, "I m-miss you all so much."

Then she jerked upwards, throwing him off her. Their fists met in a flurry of blows and suddenly, she found her arms twisted behind her. Kakashi's lips were close to her ears again. Another whisper reached her.

"I understand what you mean."

A wobbly smile crossed her lips. That was as good as an admission from the reticent sensei of hers.

She decided to voice the question on her mind then. "Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?"

"One of those guarding the transporter is a Sand missing-nin, one which the Kazekage asked us to keep an eye out for. We needed to apprehend him."

"I see."

"How is everyone in Konoha?"

Kakashi took a moment to think. "Tsunade is well, though she sometimes worry about how you're doing."

Sakura smiled softly. "Tell her I'm fine. And tell her not to drink too much. What about the rest?"

"As you can see, Naruto made it into ANBU. He passed the test just two months ago, together with Lee."

"I wish I was there to see it," she said wistfully.

"No, you'd be worried."

"Why?"

"He took down three ANBU in a severely disadvantaged situation, and the result was… explosive."

"Eh?" Then Sakura's eyes widened. "He didn't… turn into…"

Kakashi shrugged. "He has better control over it now. Even to the extent of keeping his control with the fourth tail."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

Deciding to pass on some information while he was there, Sakura quickly said, "Akatsuki's leader is called Pein. I haven't seen him fight, so I can't tell you much about him. He's the one who summons the statue to seal the bijuu. Also, the Akatsuki is trying to weaken as many countries as they could so that it is easier to take over once they got all the bijuu. He hasn't said anything about Konoha, but Tsunade should keep everyone alert."

Kakashi nodded. "I'll make sure she gets the message."

"And there's only two bijuu left for them to go after. The hachibi's jinchuuriki and Naruto. Tell Naruto… No, _FORCE_ him to be more careful, alright?"

A muffled snort came from Kakashi.

"Can you get him to practice forming his Rasengan a little quicker? I saw it coming from miles away, and if I can see it, any enemy would as well. And oh… Can you check on Ino once in a while to make sure she's okay?

"Sure."

"I'm really sorry to impose on you like this, but can you also put some flowers on my parent's grave every other week or so?"

"Sakura, don't worry. Just keep your eyes and ears open. And remember, the moment you feel like the situation is getting out of hand, you will send us a message and retreat immediately."

She took a deep breath before releasing it slowly. "I will, Kakashi-sensei."

Sakura directed her chakra to her arms, forcing Kakashi to release her. Then she leapt away. In retaliation, he released a handful of shuriken at her, which she dodged easily, before he streaked towards her. Quickly creating a bunshin, Sakura disappeared only to appear some distance away when he eliminated her clone.

"Try your best to let us know your movements. We need to avoid situations like this."

"It's hard to make contact because I'm always with them. I think they're watching me still. Testing me, probably," she muttered.

"That is to be expected. You're new after all," Kakashi said as he readied himself for another attack. "So, what else can you show me, Sakura?"

As a grin spread across her face, Sakura decided that this was the perfect time to try out one of her new jutsu. Besides, she wanted her sensei to see it and there would not be any opportunity for that anytime soon.

Her hands flipped through a string of seals before she called out, "Fuuton: Kaze-no-Gosunkugi!"

Without a pause, she flung out her fingers in his direction. Kakashi's eye widened slightly before he launched himself away from the spikes of high speed wind headed straight for him. Leaping to the side, she repeated the attack again, making a mental note to find some time to improve this new attack of hers. At the moment, it was somewhat limited because the wind spikes could only travel in a straight line.

Finally skidding to a stop, Sakura panted breathlessly. Kakashi was too fast with that Sharingan of his. He managed to avoid each and every one of her wind spikes. At a loss as to what to do next, she hesitated.

Kakashi raised a brow at her. "That is a new one. Your own jutsu?"

Sakura suppressed a grin. This fight almost felt as if it was one of their training sessions. "It needs to be improved," she admitted.

He nodded. "The coverage is too small right now. You can try to expand it so that it covers a wider target. It should not be too hard to do."

"I'll try."

"Good. Now, come at me like you want to kill me. We need to make this look convincing."

"But Kakashi-sensei…"

He gave her a warning look. "Sakura…"

She did not want to carry on fighting with her sensei. Even though he wanted her to go all out, she knew deep in her heart that she would not be able to. Without doing so, she would lose and that was something she could not afford to do, because failing this mission would only cause problems with her standing in the Akatsuki. But a part of her felt as if she was betraying Konoha by wanting to complete this Akatsuki mission, even though both teams were after different things.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura willed herself to focus on the bigger picture. She had to do this to give Konoha an upper hand on Akatsuki. As far as Akatsuki was concerned, her task was simply to steal the scroll. Her eyes shot towards their target. The transporter and the last rogue shinobi escort were running away from the battle site, their forms growing smaller and smaller in the distance and she knew that she had to catch them before they got too far. Or else they would not get what they came here for. And in order to get it, she needed something Itachi was holding.

There was only one thing she could do. Reaching back into her pouch, her fingers closed around a small container and brought it in front of her. She performed the necessary seals and activated the jutsu before she flipped open the container. A puff of smoke obscured her vision for a moment as the insects within the containers transformed.

When the smoke cleared, there were three more of her standing before a surprised Kakashi.

"I see," he mumbled thoughtfully. "These are like the ones Naruto fought before."

Kakashi should not be able to tell which one was real, and which one was not. Not that it really mattered. The chakra she had infused in those three would last long enough to allow her to get what she came for. With that thought, Sakura ran off in the direction of the escaping target while her three duplicates stayed behind to hold Kakashi back.

She saw that Kisame and Sai were still fighting. Her gaze shifted to the Uchiha. He was still locked in battle with Naruto, and from the way he was standing still like that, it looked like he had caught Naruto in one of his regular genjutsu. She could only be thankful that he was not using the Mangekyou on her friend.

Running towards him, she called out, "Itachi-san. Give me the tags."

Keeping one finger pointed at Naruto to maintain the genjutsu, Itachi reached into his cloak to pull out a pouch. When it sailed through the air towards her, Sakura reached up to catch it without breaking her stride.

Her expression set in determination, she raced after the monk and his entourage. She would get what they came for so that they could leave before any of her friends got seriously injured.

That was the best possible outcome to this stupid mess.

* * *

While the kunoichi streaked away, Itachi glanced at the direction she appeared from to catch brief flashes of pink and silver amidst the forest foliage. So, she had left clones to distract the Copy-Ninja. And from what he could tell, those were not ordinary clones, seeing that they were capable of taking hits without disappearing.

It could only a shape-shifting jutsu then. Puzzled, Itachi frowned. How had she managed to find hosts to perform the jutsu on?

The sudden bright flare of energy from the direction where Sakura had gone to earlier drew Itachi's attention. So, she had managed to unseal the scroll, he deduced. In that case, he simply needed to distract this jinchuuriki for a while longer, until she joined them.

Unfortunately, his brief moment of inattention was enough for Naruto to break free from his genjutsu. The blonde took a moment to compose himself, breathless from the illusion of betrayal from his friends. Then his eyes took on a dark glint.

"How dare you?" His voice shook as he clenched his fists. "HOW DARE YOU TAKE BOTH SASUKE AND SAKURA FROM ME?!" he shouted vehemently.

Itachi deliberately misunderstood. "Naruto-kun. My little brother is not with the Akatsuki."

"But he's out there because you killed your clan!" Naruto accused. "Sasuke got that cursed seal from Orochimaru because of you!"

"That is the result of his own foolishness."

A loud roar of anger exploded from Naruto's throat. Itachi observed closely as the red chakra around the jinchuuriki intensified. His immediate thought was that this might get messier than he would have liked. Naruto appeared to be losing control of the situation fast.

Then Itachi's eyes widened as the jinchuuriki darted towards him, a large ball of chakra held in his hand. From his posture, he could tell that Naruto was aiming for his right side.

"RASENGAN!"

Calculating his moves, Itachi waited until the last moment before he streaked to the left, leaving a substitute behind to take the blow. A bright flare exploded outwards as the strength of the Rasengan carved a crater in the ground. Itachi frowned slightly as he turned to the breathless jinchuuriki. The boy was too impatient, resulting in the inefficiency of an attack which was potentially deadly.

A loud clang rang through the air suddenly. Itachi glanced briefly out of the corner of his eyes only to be greeted by the sight of the third Leaf ANBU, the one called Sai, skidding along the ground. His bloodstained hands were clutching a kunai lodged in his side. But Kisame was not finished with him yet, it seemed. The Mist shinobi was stalking towards the critically injured Leaf ANBU with his Samehada raised for another attack.

Then Itachi found himself alone.

Naruto had streaked away from their battle. Somewhat displeased that he had been dismissed so easily, Itachi followed the jinchuuriki's swift advance towards Kisame and his teammate. The foolish boy, Itachi thought when he comprehended the blonde jinchuuriki's intent. A fraction of a second later, a roar of pain erupted from Naruto as he clutched Kisame's Samehada. Standing protectively in front of his unconscious teammate, the blonde's body shook jerkily as the blade continued to absorb his chakra.

Quickly moving closer, Itachi watched impassively as the chakra being absorbed changed from blue to red. He could tell that Kisame was already strained from the effort of holding Samehada in position, especially now that he was absorbing the kyuubi's chakra.

"That's enough," Itachi said levelly. The last thing they needed was a dead kyuubi jinchuuriki.

"Jumping in the way like that. Idiot," Kisame scorned as he pulled Samehada away. "There's too much to absorb anyway."

"Hm."

Naruto slumped to his knees before the rest of him followed. He appeared to have fallen unconscious. Out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi saw Sakura returning. A fraction of a second later, from the opposite direction, the Copy Ninja appeared from the forest. He skidded to a halt when he saw the condition of the kyuubi vessel, his eyes widening in alarm.

"Naruto!" Kakashi shouted, rushing towards them, his expression betraying his concern.

"He's still alive," Itachi remarked levelly.

The Copy Ninja paused, his eyes flicking warily between them and Naruto.

Kisame inclined his head at the unconscious boy. "Itachi-san, we can take the kyuubi now."

Itachi shook his head slightly. "No. If we take him now, we'll have to restrain him until the hachibi is dealt with. Konoha would surely come for him. It'll create unnecessary problems. We will come for him later."

Kisame grunted in acknowledgement.

The kunoichi reached their side then, but her attention was fixed to her kyuubi friend. She did not say anything, but Itachi could sense that she was troubled by the condition Naruto was in. Judging from her very emotional confrontation with Naruto earlier, it was clear that she still considered Naruto as a friend, even though it did not appear as if she wished to return to Konoha at all. And as far as Itachi was concerned, it was foolish for her to harbor such weak feelings.

The scroll in her hand confirmed that she had succeeded in obtaining what they came for. Therefore, there was no longer any need for them to fight. It was time for them to leave.

"We are retreating," Itachi instructed quietly as he began to walk away.

Sakura hesitated.

Kisame followed close beside him, glancing briefly back at the hesitating Sakura, whose eyes were still fixed to her kyuubi friend. "Let's go, kunoichi."

Sakura nodded, and then turned around and began to walk away swiftly beside them. Her entire body was tense, and it looked as if she was barely holding herself together. Still, she continued to walk. However, her steps faltered when a tremulous voice rang through the air.

"S-Stop…"

Itachi glanced over his shoulder to see the kyuubi vessel pushing himself to his feet shakily. Kakashi was at his side in a flash, but Naruto only had eyes for them, eyes which were sparking with unmistakable purpose.

"You're… not… walking… AWAY… FROM HERE!"

* * *

A/N: Um… yes, Naruto is not going to let this go that easily, but the battle will conclude very soon. Anyway, I hope you like how the story is going. Next chapter, we'll see more interaction between Sakura and Itachi. If you have some time, please drop me a review. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

Spoilers: The story follows the canon storyline until the part shortly after the Sasuke-Orochimaru battle (approximately chapter 353). After that, I took liberties with the facts.

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm glad you liked the battle in the previous chapter. A big thank you shout out to: Sesshoustar, Jester08, lara, borisbear, troublesomefemale, sweet-taboos, AnimeSenko, Reimei Hoshi, AkatsukiSakura73, supersillee06, animeismyname, Sanctus Espiritus, Hao'sAnjul, aznkitty180, Blueberry Babe, midnight000shadow, Dark Darianna Minamino, Halfbreed741, cherryblossom94, Kinkatia, blossom-geisha, afitre, PodRacingprincess and fightinsurfgrl.

Here's the next bit…

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 6**

"You're… not… walking… AWAY… FROM HERE!"

"Naruto, stop it!" Kakashi snapped harshly.

"Don't try to stop me, Kakashi-sensei!"

Turning around, Itachi regarded the shaking figure contemplatively. The power of the kyuubi was truly astounding. The red demonic chakra was leaking out of the shinobi in waves. With that power, it would not be easy to capture Naruto. But it had to be done, at whatever cost. Itachi had waited too long to back away now. Not for the sake of Akatsuki's goals, but for his own. He would finally discover the answer to the question that plagued him for the past ten years. The one who was pulling the strings behind the Akatsuki would have to reveal himself once the kyuubi was extracted.

However, right now, he needed to keep them from being chased, Itachi thought as a red chakra tail began to form behind the jinchuuriki. As Naruto sped towards him, Itachi focused his chakra to his eyes, ignoring the growing soreness. It was fortunate that Naruto was susceptible to his regular genjutsu, or else he would have to use the Mangekyou, and his eyes would suffer.

The boy's steps instantly faltered, and he fell to his knees, clutching his head. The red chakra fluctuated around him erratically before it dissipated completely. At the moment, Naruto should be experiencing the despair of his friends leaving him over and over again, betraying him, shunning him.

To Itachi's astonishment, Naruto's hands fell away from him and he stood up shakily. Blazing red eyes met his Sharingan as the chakra cloak returned, together with two chakra tails. Itachi watched with growing disbelief as Naruto took another shaky step towards him. Behind him, the third chakra tail began to take form.

"Impossible," Itachi hissed almost soundlessly.

Perhaps he had miscalculated the range, or he had failed to make contact, however ridiculous such an notion might be. Focusing his attention, Itachi once again locked his eyes onto Naruto's unflinching red ones. Knowing that if this did not work, he would have to resort to the Mangekyou, he called forth his reserve of chakra before he launched a full-strength genjutsu on the jinchuuriki.

Naruto staggered slightly, and for a moment, Itachi thought that he had succeeded.

Much to his consternation, the fourth tail appeared behind Naruto and the jinchuuriki straightened abruptly.

Then Naruto streaked forward.

Itachi only had a fraction of a second to register the move with his Sharingan before Naruto was upon him. Knowing that he had to react fast, Itachi substituted himself with a bunshin and then swiftly darted away from danger. The bunshin instantly burst into a flock of back crows the moment Naruto slashed his claws downwards.

As Naruto spun around to face him, Itachi found Kisame and Sakura appearing by his side. A brief sideway glance showed him a grimacing Kisame, while the kunoichi stared at Naruto anxiously.

"High time we left," the Mist shinobi growled.

"Aa."

Itachi kept his attention fixed on Naruto. The fact before him was irrefutable. He could not have made the same mistake twice. Therefore the conclusion he had arrived at was that the Sharingan did not affect the kyuubi-enhanced Naruto. But how was this possible? Unless, of course, one of his suspicions regarding the kyuubi was the truth after all, that the kyuubi was closely linked to the power of the Sharingan.

In which case, it would be foolish to remain fighting.

The air suddenly crackled, and Itachi's eyes darted sharply towards the red orb in Naruto's right hand. To Itachi's displeasure, it appeared as if the jinchuuriki was compressing the red chakra more and more, making it denser by the second. The force released by such tightly compacted chakra would surely be devastating.

This was dangerous.

Naruto reared up abruptly and loud snarl pierced the air. Itachi gritted his teeth, intent on reading the jinchuuriki's move, but he found the usually simple task frustratingly difficult with the jinchuuriki's speed. His tired eyes were simply not cooperating.

Then he felt, rather than saw the attack coming. The rapid approach of compacted chakra was unmistakable.

Itachi streaked to one side, but belatedly, he realized that he had made the wrong move.

The red chakra was heading straight for him.

Suddenly, Itachi felt himself propelled sideways by an external force. A loud explosion sounded, his vision instantly obscured by the raining debris but Itachi managed to make out blurry forms of pink and blue.

Then he heard Kisame mutter, "Crazy kunoichi, jumping in like that."

"That was just my bunshin," the kunoichi replied breathlessly from the other side. "I wasn't planning to get myself killed."

So, Sakura was the one who had pushed him out of danger's path. How fortunate.

As the debris settled, his vision cleared. A long, deep trench was carved in the ground as the result of Naruto's attack. Then his eyes focused on the other two Akatsuki. Kisame and Sakura were crouched beside him, but their gazes were fixed to the Leaf ANBUs. The Mist shinobi's arm appeared to be injured by the blast, but apart from a few shallow cuts, the kunoichi appeared to be uninjured.

"Itachi-san, are you alright?" Kisame asked gruffly as he straightened.

"Aa."

The one called Sai and their rogue shinobi escort were still unconscious, laying some distance from the main battle area. A grim-looking Copy-Ninja was slowly approaching the furious jinchuuriki from behind. Ignoring the older shinobi, Naruto stalked forward predatorily as the fifth chakra tail emerged.

"This is bad. We need to go," Sakura urged, her voice shaking slightly.

He had no doubt that Naruto would not allow them to leave. But now that he was aware of the power he was facing, Itachi steeled his resolve and turned to face the jinchuuriki. If regular genjutsu was insufficient, there was only one other thing he could do. He had been attempting to avoid overstressing his eyes, but it appeared that he had no other option.

"Mangekyou Sharingan," Itachi mouthed when Naruto's eyes met his.

Momentary darkness greeted him, and then Itachi found himself inside Naruto's consciousness. The pulsating pressure within was oppressive and vaguely, Itachi wondered how Naruto could stand it. But now that he was in, he might as well seek some answers.

Pressing on, Itachi delved further in, seeking only one thing. It did not take long for him to find it.

The kyuubi.

The demon with blazing red eyes stared down at him through tall bars, his tails swishing menacingly as he struggled to break free from his cage. Turning his gaze further down, Itachi noted Naruto pushing against the bars in an attempt to control the kyuubi, his entire body trembling with the effort.

"Get out, Itachi!" Naruto snarled over his shoulder.

Itachi ignored the jinchuuriki. "Kyuubi," he greeted blandly.

The demon stilled, his features taking on a look of recognition. "Ah… those eyes. Another Uchiha," he mused in a low growl.

Pointedly ignoring Naruto, Itachi wondered how much he could glean from the kyuubi. "You know of others?"

"Damn it, you bastard! Get out of my head!" Naruto shouted heatedly.

A gleam of malice entered the kyuubi's eyes. "I'm familiar with one. Madara. But I've recently met another."

"What's with you and Sasuke barging into my head like this!" Naruto glared at him. "I said get out!"

Itachi reined in his surprise. So, Sasuke had managed to do this as well. But how was he able to do it without the Mangekyou? Unless, of course, Sasuke had managed to gain the next level of the Sharingan recently.

"When did you meet the other?"

The kyuubi chuckled darkly. "I can't tell. Time has no meaning for me. But the Uchiha brat had it easy then, because I was not free to use my powers. My jinchuuriki had not reached this state then. Five tails is a little too much for you to handle, isn't it, Naruto?"

Itachi decided that he should lead the kyuubi. "Still, you are susceptible to Mangekyou."

"Ahh… Yes. Unfortunately so," the kyuubi mused almost as if he was talking to himself. "The Sharingan is fuelled by demonic powers and fostered by fury, but the Mangekyou evolves from human despair. I have no control over it. Has Madara not made this clear to his descendants?"

This was more than he had expected to find out, but it somewhat confirmed the contents of the scroll in the Uchiha shrine. What he had not been aware of was the demonic origin of the Sharingan. "What is your relation with Madara?"

"Hm… Why are you so interested in Madara?" The kyuubi paused contemplatively. "Do you wish to retrieve his power? The power that the Shodaime extracted from him?"

Itachi's eyes widened. It now made sense to him.

"Shut up, you fox!" Naruto snarled, his entire body shaking harder with the effort of holding the kyuubi back. "Don't say anymore!"

Itachi's eyes narrowed. It appeared that Naruto was beginning to lose control over the situation. But he needed to find out more. If he knew what he was dealing with, he could prepare himself better for the eventual confrontation.

"Kyuubi, what is this power you speak of?"

"SHUT UP!" Naruto shouted furiously, glaring at the kyuubi. "Or do you want the bastard to use this information to kill us?"

The kyuubi cast an assessing look towards his jinchuuriki. "Very well." Turning back to Itachi, the fox declared stonily, "He's right. I cannot give you this ammunition."

Itachi's lips thinned. It was clear that the kyuubi would say no more, since Naruto planted the idea that the information could be used to harm him. In which case, there was no longer any reason to remain here.

"Watch this, Naruto-kun."

With that, Itachi pushed the kyuubi deep into his cell and began to weave the illusion. Naruto's eyes widened in alarm, but caught in the web of the Mangekyou, the jinchuuriki was frozen to the spot, enable to stop it. Their surroundings twisted and a milky moon appeared in the horizon. An image of Sasuke appeared just as tendrils of blood-red chakra wrapped around Naruto, binding him. The sword in Sasuke's hand swept down in an arc, slicing against Naruto, drawing an agonized scream from the jinchuuriki.

Then Itachi brought himself back to reality.

Even though it felt like longer, the jutsu had only taken Itachi a few seconds, but it was a few seconds too long, for his eyes were now burning in pain. Itachi saw the Copy Ninja rushing towards Naruto, who lay trembling on the ground, the red chakra no longer enveloping his form. Satisfied that Kakashi would not leave this two injured comrades behind to give chase, Itachi straightened spun around towards the other two Akatsuki.

"We are leaving," he announced blandly.

Without waiting for an answer, Itachi sped towards the forest. Swiftly, barely skimming the tree branches, he traveled across the forest in the direction of their next stop, occasionally doubling back to leave false trails. It took time, but it was necessary. Konoha would most certainly pursue them once the Copy-Ninja sent a message calling for back-up.

When they were finally back on the right track, Itachi's vision blurred badly all of a sudden, causing him to falter. Sharp, piercing pain continued to stab the back of his eyeballs. Stumbling to a halt on a wide branch, he leaned against the trunk to steady himself. Suppressing a groan before it could escape his lips, he pressed his fingers to his lids in an attempt to ease the agony.

He felt the branch dip under his feet. Itachi opened his eyes to find the kunoichi standing beside him, her form blurry to his gaze.

"What's wrong?" she asked in an uncharacteristically dull voice.

Itachi did not reply. He could not. Another stab of pain forced him to clamp his hands over his eyes. Three regular genjutsu and a Mangekyou in one single battle had brought him past his limits, much as he disliked to admit it.

Landing on a branch opposite theirs, Kisame growled. "He gets like this every time he uses the Mangekyou."

"Can you continue?" the kunoichi asked.

Itachi shook his head once, despising his reduced state.

At the sudden touch of fingers around his wrist, Itachi froze. And then he realized that Sakura was trying to pry his hands away from his eyes. Her fingers felt warm against his skin, even though her voice was cold.

"Itachi-san. Let me have a look at it."

He opened his eyes slowly, allowing his hands to drop. Sakura was bent close to him. Brows furrowed, the kunoichi reached out her hands towards his eyes. Tensing further in reflex, Itachi jerked back. He did not like anyone to get too close to his eyes.

She sounded irritable when she spoke. "You need to relax. I'm just going to check it, alright? Unless you prefer us to continue on without you."

Rather unsettled by her tone, and yet unable to deny that it would be foolish to reject her aid, Itachi finally forced himself to hold still as he closed his eyes. The touch of her fingers against his lids made him clench his fists, but he said nothing, even when a searching chakra invaded his eyes.

"Chakra burns," she announced flatly after a while. "I'll heal the burns, but you need to keep still."

Itachi nodded in assent. It did not appear as if he had any other choice if he wished to continue traveling. Closing his eyes, he soon felt the touch of her fingers again. This time, her chakra was slightly different. He could feel the tingles behind his eyeballs, the gradual easing of the pressure telling him that she had focused on the right place. For a long while, he simply stood there silently, listening to the gentle hum of her healing chakra. The entire experience was oddly calming, even though he was still uneasy with her proximity.

Then it was done.

He opened his eyes. Their gaze met for a second when she withdrew from him, and Itachi instantly noticed the hint of bitter anguish in those green orbs. Blinded by his own pain not long ago, he had failed to notice it earlier. Did her distress stem from the earlier battle? But before he could say a word, Sakura turned away from them, the rigid line of her shoulder further betraying her tension. Apparently, he was not the only one who had noticed.

"What's wrong, kunoichi?" Kisame asked gruffly

"Nothing." Her voice was tight. Her eyes went to Kisame's wound. "Let me heal that."

Kisame shook his head. "It's a shallow flesh wound. I don't need it healed now."

She shrugged. Then without another word, she launched into the space between the trees and darted forward, leaving them to catch up. Now that his eyes were no longer bothering him, Itachi swiftly and steadily advanced forward until he caught up with her. Not pausing in his movements, Itachi glanced sideways. She was tense and from what he could tell, she was far from well.

Then he heard it.

The sound was quiet, but there was no mistaking it.

Curious despite himself, Itachi peered closer. Then his eyes widened when he saw the shiny tracks running down her cheeks. The girl was crying. Somewhat at a loss as to what he should do, Itachi averted his eyes. It was none of his concern if she wished to cry. Subtly, he widened the gap between them.

They traveled some distance before he glanced in her direction again. This time, he found Kisame doing the same, and their eyes met over her head. The Mist shinobi was wearing a bewildered look. It was obvious that Kisame was wondering why the kunoichi was still crying silently. Itachi shook his head slightly at Kisame's unspoken question.

Maintaining that he should not interfere with whatever that was bothering the kunoichi, Itachi continued moving. One hour later, he saw the setting sun in the distance, telling him that they were coming to the edge of the forest.

"That's it. We're stopping," Kisame suddenly announced.

Puzzled, Itachi landed on a branch and immediately turned to face the taller of his partners. "What is the matter, Kisame?"

Without answering, the grim Mist shinobi leapt towards the kunoichi, landing on her branch. Deciding to join him, Itachi did the same. The kunoichi did not look pleased at their presence, he noted. Her eyes were red and the wet tracks on her cheek were clearly displayed.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kisame demanded.

"Nothing," she gritted out through clenched teeth as she glared at him.

Kisame scowled. "You've been bawling for the last hour."

Sakura bristled as she swiped the back of her hand over her face. "And how is that any of your business?!" she shot back. "Am I holding you back or something?"

Gesturing at the branch under their feet, Kisame hissed, "You're the reason we're standing here."

"And who was the one who wanted to stop?" she immediately retorted.

Itachi's gaze traveled back and forth between Kisame and Sakura. This was pointless. Kisame should have left the kunoichi to her own devices. After all, she was right in saying that she was not delaying anyone. Her actions were rather odd for a ninja, but Itachi surmised that this was because of the earlier battle. Still, crying seemed a little excessive.

"Why are you crying?" Itachi asked quietly.

She shot him a glare. "Not you too!"

"It is merely a question, kunoichi."

For a moment, she said nothing, but Itachi noted that her hands continued to clench and unclench. When she finally spoke, her voice was tight.

"Naruto and Sai are hurt badly. You can't expect me to feel nothing."

"It was necessary for the mission," Itachi pointed out.

She bristled indignantly. "I don't need you to tell me that. I didn't have a problem completing the mission, did I?"

He raised a brow. "Thus there is no need for tears."

Her eyes flashed. "Look, those people used to be my friends. I grew up with them. So excuse me if I feel a little bad about us beating them up, alright?!" she snarled.

Itachi simply stared at her. It was odd how she seemed to catch him off guard all the time. He had expected her to make excuses, but she had spoken the truth instead, regardless of the fact that they might perceive her emotions as a weakness. She was not ashamed of it. Instead, she embraced her emotions wholeheartedly, a trait which was not normally approved in their profession.

But right then, with her green eyes flashing and her cheeks flushed, she looked oddly… compelling.

"And don't you DARE say that shinobi does not show their emotions. That is just utterly stupid!" She turned away from them, her slender body heaving up and down. Then she took a deep breath before she hissed, "Now, if you're satisfied, are we ready to go?"

Without waiting a reply, she streaked away from them.

Somewhat stunned by the entire debacle, Itachi turned to Kisame to find the Mist shinobi scowling thoughtfully.

"She's crazy."

"Aa."

* * *

By the time they arrived at the Akatsuki's stronghold, Sakura had managed to get a grip on herself. A part of her was mortified that she had lost it just like that, but another part of felt that it was justified. How could anyone expect her to be alright after what had just happened? She had left Naruto and Sai in bloody heaps with Kakashi back at the battlefield. The urge to run towards them to heal them had been almost overpowering. 

At least they were still alive, she thought sadly as she stepped into the building after Itachi and Kisame. Still distraught by the mission, she glanced around disinterestedly, taking in the new location. Unlike the place in Rain Country, this building was done up in a modern construction. The slightly musty smell permeating the air and well as the thin film of dust over the furniture told her that the place hadn't been used for a while. Wordlessly, she followed them as they went up the stairs into a long hallway. Both of them made a beeline for their rooms.

Glancing over his shoulder, Kisame said gruffly, "You can take the room opposite mine or Itachi's. They are empty."

Kisame's roughly bandaged arm caught her eyes. Her hatred of the Akatsuki's action against her friends warred against her medic sense. She did not really want to heal the enemy, but she felt compelled to do so anyway. That was what she had felt earlier with Itachi, although there had been no other choice since she needed him to continue traveling. So she had compromised and healed him enough to take the pain away, but nothing more.

She sighed inwardly as she studied Kisame's arm again. It occurred to her then that although he was an Akatsuki, Kisame was not actually that bad. In fact, she had been rather surprised earlier when he told them to stop to ask what was wrong with her. It had been disturbingly sweet of him, even though all she felt back then was the anger and the frustration of not being able to help her Konoha friends.

"You want me to heal your arm?" she finally offered.

Kisame shook his head. "I'm going out to get some food."

"Maybe later then."

The Mist shinobi nodded.

Without breaking a step, Itachi added, "We need to lay low for a couple of days. Then we'll move again."

Sakura walked past him to the door opposite his and then pushed it open. The room which greeted her was plain, but serviceable. There was a bed pushed against a wall and a desk was placed next to the wardrobe. The single large window at the end of the room glowed red with the sunset.

Shutting the door behind her, she went to the bed and pulled the dust sheet off. A cloud of dust filtered through the air as she dropped the sheet on the floor. Then her Akatsuki cloak and her pack landed on the bed. Sitting down at the edge of the mattress, she swung her pack forward and dug through it until she found what she was looking for.

The picture of Team 7.

Smiling shakily, she traced a finger over Naruto's and Kakashi's face. It was physically painful to see how happy they were at that time. So painful that she could not bear to allow her gaze to linger, so she shifted to Sasuke.

The physical similarities immediately brought Itachi to her mind. And the similarities did not stop at just the physical, but their characters as well. Itachi and Sasuke shared the same aloofness, ruthlessness and single-mindedness when it came to something they coveted.

She remembered that time she had seen Sasuke when she was fifteen. Even then, he was emotionless enough to want to try to kill them. Ironically, it was Orochimaru who had stopped him. That incident was the turning point for her. The Sasuke she had fallen in love with was not there anymore. Maybe he had never existed in the first place. Maybe the Sasuke she had loved was simply a figment of her overactive imagination.

The last time she had seen Sasuke was almost a year or so after that, shortly before she took her jounin examination. That time, instead of being with Orochimaru, Sasuke was leading Team Hebi. They had gone through the usual pleading with him to return to them, until Naruto had snapped and threatened to drag him back in broken pieces. The fight that had ensued was not pretty. She had fought the girl called Karin, while Kakashi and Sai had taken on Juugo and Suigetsu respectively. Having knocked Karin out, she had then gone towards Sasuke, who had just thrown Naruto a great distance away.

And that was when Sasuke had turned to face her. Without a single emotion on his face, he had darted towards her with his advanced Chidori. She had been too shocked to move. The only reason she was alive now was because Kakashi had knocked her out of the way with his bunshin.

She did not even know if she would want Sasuke back in Konoha. Her trust in him had been shattered a long time ago. She was not like Naruto, who didn't seem to care if Sasuke left willingly or not, so long as he returned to Konoha, to Team 7.

Sakura dropped the framed picture on top of her pack.

Team 7 did not exist anymore, and was not likely to anytime in the future, considering what Sasuke was, and now, her as well. If she completed this mission successfully, her status as a missing-nin might change. But that did not remove her S-Class criminal status, considering that she _had_ carried out all those crimes. Her long list of crimes ensured that the rest of the shinobi countries, regardless of whether or not Konoha pardoned her, would hunt her down. She was aware of this from the very first day, but it did not make her feel any better.

A couple of loud taps rang out, drawing her out of her contemplations. Sakura immediately sat up, glancing at the door. From the chakra signature, her visitor was likely to be Itachi. What did he want?

"Come in."

The door opened to admit the Uchiha. Her eyes scanned down his form briefly, noting that he was clad only in his mesh top and black pants, having removed his cloak. His body had been hidden under his Akatsuki cloak, but now she could see that like most shinobi of his type, he was all lean muscles. Pushing the door shut behind him, he stepped further into the room until he was right in front of her. Her questioning eyes did not leave him as he stood there wordlessly. He appeared to be thinking deeply.

Tamping down her impatience, she kept he voice level when she asked, "What is it, Itachi-san?"

"We need to discuss the… situation… earlier."

His voice was deceptively soft but there was no mistaking the underlying seriousness of his words. Sakura forced herself not to avert her gaze. "What about it?"

"You are aware that we seek the bijuu, hence the jinchuuriki."

She frowned. What was he getting at? "Of course I know. What do you take me for?"

"Then you would be able to capture the kyuubi when the time arrives?" he asked meaningfully.

A shaky breath left her when she realized where he was going with this. She carefully considered her words before she spoke, lest the Uchiha became suspicious. The best thing to do was to stick with half-truths.

"I'm not going to say that it's not going to be difficult for me. I know that Akatsuki has its eye on the bijuu. In spite of that, I did join voluntarily. A mission is a mission, and I will do whatever that is necessary. But as far as I'm concerned, the mission ends when we meet the objective."

Then she hardened her expression. "So if I chose to break down after that, it's my own business and no body else's."

His crimson eyes flickered unreadably. "So you will be able to act regardless of the fact that the kyuubi is your friend?"

"Like I said, it's not easy, and I prefer not to be the one to do it. But I'm getting myself used to the idea, alright?" she ground out tightly.

"Hm."

She had no idea if he was convinced by her words, but she had said her piece. Her only hope was that her excuses sounded real enough to be believable. This was hard. Much harder than she had ever anticipated. Phase 1 of the mission was a piece of cake compared to this. This whole thing about keeping her guard up while balancing truth and lies was going to drive her into a nervous breakdown one day.

Like the mini one she just had earlier.

After a while, she realized that Itachi was still standing there. But this time, instead of looking at her, his attention was fixed on to her pack.

On the picture of Team 7.

Sakura's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach.

* * *

He was surprised, but Itachi kept his expression impassive as he studied the framed picture on the kunoichi's pack. She was standing between Sasuke and the kyuubi jinchuuriki. The Copy-ninja Kakashi stood behind them. 

The image of his brother reminded Itachi of the last time they had met about a year ago. Sasuke was still driven by the urge to kill him, but although Sasuke was much stronger than before, it had not been enough. The battle had been furious, at least on Sasuke's side. The boy was bent on winning, but Sasuke was the one who had ended up knocked unconscious. He was still not strong enough to carry out what Itachi had in mind, and it was beginning to appear as if Sasuke might not make it in time.

Itachi's eyes shifted on the shortest figure in the picture, the smiling pink-haired girl. He could tell that her innocent, cheerful countenance was something of the past, for the kunoichi before him no longer possessed such guilelessness. It was to be expected. She was now a missing-nin, after all.

A missing-nin usually has no attachments. But the mere existence of the picture told him that Sakura was still very much attached to her old team. To those she had cried over earlier in the day.

This would not do.

He turned to her to find her wearing a questioning look. Strangely enough, she did not appear to be discomfited by the fact that he had seen the picture. Perhaps she truly did not understand that such a thing was frowned upon. It was Konoha's influence, no doubt.

Even though the organization was fairly relaxed with rules, the Akatsuki, like any shinobi organizations, discouraged emotional attachments. He was one of the longest members of the Akatsuki, having joined when there were only Pein, Konan and Zetsu. And since then, he had gained a certain amount of trust from their supposed leader. And as one of the established members, he was obliged to steer their newest member away from this route. However, such a task was not to his liking, for he was certain that Sakura would not make it easy. In the short time he had known her, he could tell that the kunoichi could be stubborn if she put her mind to it. He would much prefer it if someone else was responsible for this.

Deciding to leave the issue for the moment, Itachi invited smoothly. "Come. I will show you the grounds."

Without waiting for her reply, he walked out of the room and continued down the hallway. The almost soundless taps of her footsteps told him that she was right behind him.

"How are your eyes doing?" she suddenly asked.

He stilled. Slowly, he turned around to face her. "It is better."

She nodded. "Let me know if it is bothering you."

In that case, he would be asking her to completely heal his eyes right there and then, because although it no longer hurt, it bothered him that his vision was less than perfect without the Sharingan. Still, he was reluctant to do so. He did not trust her fully, or anyone else for that matter. He had learnt that early in his life.

His father's face immediately flashed across his mind. Then Itachi could only watch as the rest of his memories crashed over him.

_He was six and it was his first day in the Academy. His father stood tall beside him, his countenance betraying nothing as he faced the leader of the Hyuuga clan. Silently, Itachi studied the Hyuuga's profile, noting the pale eyes common to that clan. There was a rumor that the Uchiha clan was distantly related to the Hyuuga clan, but Itachi could detect any similarities. _

"_So this is Uchiha's future leader," the Hyuuga remarked cordially._

"_No."_

_Puzzled, Itachi blinked up at his father. His mother had always said that he was the heir to the Uchiha clan. So why was his father denying it? Had his father decided to bestow the honor upon Sasuke instead?_

_The Hyuuga raised a surprised brow. "Is he not your eldest son, Uchiha-san? Do you not trust him with the Uchiha name?"_

"_He has yet to prove himself. And you know as well as I do that as a shinobi, it would be wise to trust no one."_

A bitter feeling coursed through Itachi at the memory of his younger self's shock. He had been so naïve then, so trusting. But his father was right. Taking his father's words to heart, Itachi had remained cautious of trusting anyone. Only two people had managed to slip past his defenses since then.

And much later on, one of these people had forced him to experience the terrible taste of betrayal and broken trust, together with the despair that followed. It was the despair which had brought forth the next evolution of his Sharingan. The evolution that he had not actively sought, and yet, embraced once he received it. Until today, the memory remained fresh in Itachi's mind.

_The moonlight shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the surface of the Nakano River and the path Itachi was taking. It was a peaceful night, but peace was the last thing Itachi felt. Journeying home from the assassination mission he had completed earlier that day, he could not help but ponder upon his father's harsh words before dawn. _

_Did it really matter if he did not turn up for the clan meeting? What could possibly be so important that he had to be there? And even if it was that important, his father could always inform him of the pertinent facts. His presence was not necessary, especially when he had something more important to do. He could not reject the ANBU mission, after all, considering his role as a captain. And even if he could, he would not do so, for his regard for ANBU missions was higher than his regard for his foolish clan's demands. _

_Besides, his father was the one who had pushed him to join ANBU. And now that he was in, the clan wished to control him. It was an impossible situation. As an ANBU captain, he had the responsibility to carry out his missions without answering to his clan. Still, they insisted on pestering him, attempting to control him. Why were they holding him back for something so trivial like a clan meeting?_

_A quiet, almost imperceptible sound reached him, breaking into his thoughts. Itachi's senses immediately went on the alert. It was the sound of snapping twigs, telling him that he was not alone. _

_The sound came from his left, from the forested area next to the river. With a speed unsurpassed by anyone else he knew, Itachi blurred towards his stalker, his kunai flying ahead of him. A muffled cry sounded when his weapon found its mark just a fraction of a second before Itachi grabbed his stalker in an uncompromising chokehold._

_Then his eyes widened in recognition. Although he could only see the back of his stalker's head, Itachi knew who it was. In his confusion, Itachi's arm loosened slightly. _

"_Shisui?"_

"_Let go, Itachi!"_

_Itachi released his hold. Shisui staggered a few steps away before spinning around. His expression was dark. To Itachi's surprise, Shisui was wearing the Konoha Military Police uniform. It was then that Itachi realized that he had not spent much time with Shisui ever since he had joined ANBU, and especially after his promotion to caption. They had not met up for a long time, and this was certainly not how_ _Itachi had pictured their meeting. _

_What unsettled him most was the suspicious nature of this encounter. Why was Shisui trailing him?_

"_What's the meaning of this?" Itachi asked warily. _

_Shisui's expression remained unchanged. "What do you mean?"_

"_You were following me," Itachi pointed out. Shisui's ignorance was obviously an act._

"_I was in the area."_

_Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction. Shisui dared to underestimate him by offering such a weak excuse? Itachi found it difficult to wrap his mind around Shisui's lies, not understanding why Shisui would do such a thing in the first place. _

_Keeping his voice even, Itachi intoned flatly, "You're lying. Your chakra was cloaked. It is still cloaked. So tell me the truth."_

_Shisui regarded him silently for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was cold. "What does it look like, Itachi? You're the genius, so you should be able to figure it out easily."_

_The tone of those words was enough to tell Itachi that something was very, very wrong. The Shisui he knew had never spoken to him in such a manner. He needed to know the reason behind his friend's odd behavior. What had changed over such a short time? What could have happened to turn Shisui into a stranger? _

"_Tell me why you're here, Shisui."_

_Shisui turned away from him. His eyes were fixed to the glassy surface of the river when he said, "You want to know why I'm here?"_

_Itachi tensed at Shisui's tone. "Tell me."_

_The Sharingan in Shisui's eyes activated when their eyes met. _

"_I'm here to kill you."_

* * *

A/N: Ack! There's probably too much information in this chapter, though I have to say that most are just made up to suit the storyline. Anyway, I hope you'll review to let me know what you think of this chapter. Thanks! 

:elle6778:


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

Spoilers: The story follows the canon storyline until the part shortly after the Sasuke-Orochimaru battle (approximately chapter 353). After that, I took liberties with the facts, so expect things to be different from canon.

A/N: Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed: ArjunaAnja, Some Scribbles, Jester08, AnimeSenko, Goukatenshi, Goddess Psyche, PodRacingprincess, AkatsukiSakura73, troublesomefemale, supersillee06, midnight000shadow, Hao'sAnjul, Sanctus Espiritus, Dez, aznkitty180, Reimei Hoshi, Sesshoustar, Kinkatia, Ita-ta, cherryblossom94, LitoxShorty, yuki san1 and SasukeSakuraxXXxItachiSakura.

This chapter is a lot calmer than the last few – kind of transitional, actually. If you squint really hard, you might be able to see some hints of Ita-Saku. And oh, if you want to see my spoiler-ish fanart of Itachi and Sakura for a scene in this chapter, head to my deviantart page. The address is on my profile.

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 7**

"Itachi-san."

Itachi tensed when the loud female voice broke the chain of disturbing memories. The kunoichi was studying him, her features tinted with curiosity.

"What's wrong? You stopped so suddenly."

"Nothing." Forcing his legs to move, he said, "Let's go."

Shisui wished to kill him, and he had responded accordingly. It was in the past, something which had opened his eyes further in more ways than one. Still, he was somewhat disconcerted by the emergence of the memory. Why was it resurfacing now? Was it because he was getting closer to his goal? He glanced out of the corner of his eyes at the figure beside him. Or was it because of the kunoichi and the picture he had seen earlier?

Irked at his thoughts, Itachi instantly tamped it down. Instead, he focused on showing the kunoichi the various areas which made up the building. Soon, he found himself walking out of the door at the back of the house. There was an open-air space surrounded by trees and tall stone walls. Crossing the grounds was a narrow river which weaved between the trees to disappear under one of the walls.

"This is the training grounds," he explained. "You may use it as you wish."

Her eyes gleamed with interest as she studied her surroundings. "Perfect," she murmured before she began to walk around the area.

All signs of her emotional distress were no longer present and Itachi wondered if she was merely hiding it now. Judging by how explosive her feelings were not long ago, it was unlikely that she had managed to shed it so quickly. Idly, he watched as she went from one spot to another, seemingly intent on finding something. Deciding to stop there, Itachi settled on the bench set to one side of the training grounds. With her back turned to him, she lifted a rock and then picked something out of her pouch. Then he felt a flare of chakra.

What was she up to?

He was oddly curious about her antics, but he did not like the notion of getting up to approach her. His gaze landed on the kunai holster strapped to his thigh. In one swift move, he drew out a kunai and flung it towards the kneeling form in the middle of the training ground. Just as it was about to connect with her neck, a hand snapped up to intercept it. She did not bother to turn around, he noted with an inward smirk.

Then a streak flashed before him and she was standing an arm's length away. He would not have seen her move if it was not for his Sharingan. Unperturbed by the glare she directed at him, Itachi simply leaned against the back of the bench, tilting his head up to look at her. He did not even flinch when she pointed _his_ kunai threateningly at him.

"What was that for?" she bit out testily.

He inclined his head towards the spot she had been earlier. "I was merely wondering what you were up to."

Her eyes bugged in the most unattractive manner. "You threw a kunai at me for _that_?!"

"Hm."

She gave him an incredulous look. "You couldn't have just asked, right? Oh wait! I get it." Her tone was dry when she continued, "You can't raise your voice."

He decided not to grace her comment with a response.

She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, you're just going to have to continue to wonder what I was doing back there."

"Tell me."

Her brow tilted. "No."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. But before he could say anything, his senses detected that Kisame had returned. He turned his attention back to the kunoichi, wondering if he should press the issue.

"Food's here," the Mist shinobi announced loudly as he stepped out from the building.

Beaming, Sakura clapped her hands together, her attention shifting to Kisame. "It's about time. I'm starving. Thank you, Shark-Face!"

Kisame scowled. "It's about time you stopped calling me that."

When her eyes gleamed, Itachi could tell that nothing good would come out of her mouth next. For some odd reason, she seemed to take delight in riling the Mist shinobi.

"Fine. Let's go eat, Kisame-senpai!"

The muscle under Kisame's right eye ticked. "Kunoichi, a simple 'Kisame' would do," he gritted out.

"I'll try to remember."

Itachi suppressed a smirk as he watched Sakura enter the house with a backward wave of her hand. Kisame was staring at her with a scowl on his face. Her presence certainly changed the dynamics of their team, particularly due to the interaction between her and Kisame. Still, he could not tell if it was a good thing or not.

"I see she's back to normal again," Kisame observed once Sakura was out of sight. "Much better than all that crying."

Itachi thought back to what he had seen on her pack. "She is carrying a picture of her genin team in Konoha."

Kisame raised a brow. "Really?" After a short pause, he asked, "You're going to report it?"

Itachi had not decided if doing so would benefit him. "Perhaps."

A thoughtful frown marred the Mist shinobi's brow. "Maybe you should leave it for a while."

Itachi gave his partner a sharp look. "Why?"

Shrugging, Kisame explained, "She's new. Hell, even Tobi took some time to calm down. Not that he's much better now."

"Being excitable is not the same as being emotionally involved," Itachi pointed out. And Tobi was a completely different matter, he added mentally.

"Does it matter as long as she does her job?"

"Hm." That was what the kunoichi had said earlier.

"So, what do you say, huh?"

"We'll see."

* * *

Sakura took a deep breath, tucking her hair behind her ears as she stepped out into the training grounds. The horizon was glowing faintly orange, signaling the approach of dawn. It was a little too early to be training, but she realized she had to do it before the other two Akatsuki woke up. After all, the last thing she needed was for them to see _all_ her abilities. She had to keep some up her sleeves, and the development of this jutsu was one of them. 

Inhaling the crisp air into her lungs, Sakura glanced around. It was really a nice place to train, and it was obviously set up for that purpose. Walking to the bench, she sat down.

It seemed almost unfair that she was sitting there in one piece when she knew that Naruto and Sai were stuck in the hospital now. Looking back with a clearer head, she wondered if she had compromised her position at all with all her outbursts yesterday. Neither Itachi nor Kisame had said anything about it over dinner, but that did not mean anything. For all she knew, Pein already knew about it.

For all she knew, they were now looking for ways to get rid of her.

Pressing her lips together, she decided that there was nothing she could do about it now. She would just have to continue to make it look like she was part of Akatsuki and nothing else. Though she had to be careful just how far she went, because overdoing it would only make it seem as if she was guilty of something. The main thing to remember was to seem as natural as possible.

She straightened her spine in determination and stood up. Now that Kakashi knew that she was in, Konoha would expect some inside information on the Akatsuki. She would not fail them.

But in the meantime, she had to improve the wind jutsu that she had shown Kakashi. Brows furrowed in concentration, she began to modify the sequence of seals to test the effect. Her aim was to get the wind spikes to spread out to cover more ground. Her first try resulted in her wind spikes shooting out in a wider spread, but it died down shortly. A frown of irritation crossed her features. There was not enough force in it. She rearranged the sequence of seals in her mind, hoping that this time, her attempt would bring her closer to her objective.

But before she could raise her hands to form the seals, the soft sound from the direction of the building caught her attention. Spinning around swiftly, her gaze landed on a smirking Kisame.

"That weak wind jutsu is all you got?" he taunted.

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Your pathetic water jutsu is much better?"

Kisame's expression darkened. "My water jutsu can tear you apart into little pink pieces."

"Oh? Like it did the last time we fought?" she taunted.

"I was taking it easy then." His lips twisted into a grin, exposing his saw-like teeth. "But I owe you an ass kicking."

Recalling their conversation during the meeting a week or so ago, Sakura chuckled. "Let's see whose ass will be kissing the ground, shall we?"

Kisame's grin widened as he swung Samehada down from his shoulders.

Eyes not leaving the Mist shinobi, Sakura widened her stance in preparation. If she and Kisame made a habit of fighting like this, she would be able to hone her skills. Not to mention it would benefit her mission. Yeah, the more familiar she was with their fight patterns, the better position she would be in when she had to fight them for real. Of course the reverse was true as well, that Kisame would be equally familiar with her skills, but she did not have much choice in the matter, did she? She would just have to hold back on her more powerful jutsu.

Abruptly, Kisame disappeared out of sight. Spinning around, she scanned her surroundings. Where was he? Left? Right? Behind?

Up!

Given no chance to think, Sakura simply threw herself to one side to avoid the descending Samehada. Rolling to her feet, she whipped out a kunai tagged with an explosive note and flung it towards the grinning Mist shinobi. To her surprise, Kisame did not move. When the explosive detonated upon impact, Kisame's form turned into water at her contact. She cursed under her breath. A water clone, huh?

Then he reappeared again in front of her. "You're underestimating me, kunoichi. C-Rank moves don't work on me."

She snorted derisively. "I don't need to bring out the heavy stuff for someone like you."

"Heh! Then let's see how you like this!"

Sakura followed Kisame's hand seals, immediately realizing that he was using the same attack as their last fight. But this time she was prepared. She finished her own set of seals just as he called out the jutsu.

"Suiton: Suikoudan-no-Jutsu!"

"Doton: Doryuu-Jouheki!"

Once again, her earth wall came up to meet his shark-like water projectile, and once again, she panted with the effort of holding the jutsu intact. But like the last time, the strength of their jutsu was evenly matched and eventually, the earth wall and his water projectile exploded into a muddy mess.

"You won't be able to block the next one," he taunted with a laugh.

Sakura smirked. "You seem so confident for someone who haven't even landed a hit."

A muscle in his jaw twitched. "We'll see, won't we?" With that, his hands moved to perform a quick set of seals.

Sakura almost groaned when she realized that he was performing another water jutsu. Kisame must have realized that it was safer for him to use long-range attacks instead of risking getting close to her hands. Deciding that the Earth wall barrier would not work again, she tried another one of the Sandaime's techniques and quickly formed a series of seals.

Kisame reached out his hands in the direction of the river. "Suiton: Suigadan!"

The water shot out from the river, forming something shaped like a drill which was headed straight for her.

"Doton: Doryuudan!" Sakura countered swiftly.

A form of an earth dragon rose from the mess of mud between them. Before the water drill could reach her, the dragon opened its mouth to fire earth projectiles directly at it. The projectiles pierced the oncoming body of water, but it was not enough to stop it completely.

Swallowing a shriek of alarm, Sakura henge-ed into a log and disappeared sideways. Unfortunately, she did not move far enough to avoid the splash of water when Kisame's jutsu dissipated. Weakened by her earth jutsu, Kisame's water attack was not forceful enough to harm her, but it was enough to send her to her knees when it washed over her. She suppressed the urge to scream. Stupid water jutsu! Now she was all wet.

A mocking laughter reached her then, making her snap towards its owner. Kisame seemed to find it hilarious that she was completely drenched.

"What are you laughing at?" she spat irritably as she flipped her wet hair out of her eyes.

"You look like a drowned rat."

"Even in this state, I still look better than you," she shot back belligerently, trying to ignore how childish she sounded.

He hissed in annoyance.

And with that, they launched towards each other again.

* * *

Itachi's brows furrowed as his eyes snapped open. As always, sleep had eluded him until a few hours before dawn, and the last thing he needed was more disruption. Knowing that it was only a battle between Kisame and Sakura, he had tried to sleep through the commotion outside, but it was next to impossible. A normal person would be awakened, let alone a shinobi. 

They had been going at it for a while now, and Itachi was beginning to wonder if they planned on stopping anytime soon. Even without watching, the length of the fight and the absence of a death-cry were enough to tell him that they were almost evenly matched.

Perhaps if he left it long enough, they would kill each other and his peace would be restored.

An unnecessarily loud cry of an earth jutsu reached his ears and he hissed in displeasure. Deciding that it was pointless to remain in bed, Itachi got up and began his morning routine. Once dressed, he walked out of the room and then made for the training grounds.

He was greeted by the sight of Kisame charging towards the kunoichi, his Samehada raised in preparation for a swing. Just as Samehada was about to make contact, Sakura's body disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Then she was there again, sending a rain of shuriken towards Kisame. The Mist shinobi brought Samehada up, blocking the attack before he bounded back some distance away.

Flicking a glance at him, Kisame inclined his head in greeting before turning back to his opponent. "We have an audience, kunoichi."

"Good morning, Itachi-san," she greeted politely, her eyes not leaving the Mist shinobi. "Now someone's here to watch your ass getting handed to you."

"You talk big, kunoichi," Kisame pointed out. "But you're weak as ever."

Her eyes flared. "Oh yeah? Let's see how you deal with this."

With that, the kunoichi streaked away in what seemed like three directions. But with his Sharingan, Itachi could tell that the real one was to right of Kisame. Unfortunately for the Mist shinobi, he went for the one on the left. The bunshin disappeared in a puff the moment Samehada struck it. And by that time, the real kunai-wielding Sakura was already in the middle of an attack.

Kisame spun around just in time to deflect her kunai with his Samehada, but her chakra-filled kick grazed his side, instantly throwing him to the ground. Itachi's Sharingan told him that his partner had swapped with a bunshin. Unaware of this, Sakura charged forward with another kick, only to release a frustrated shriek when she realized that she had been tricked.

When the real Kisame appeared behind her, they locked into a furious fight, their limbs appearing blurred at the speed of their attacks. She seemed to be weaker on the left side, Itachi noted idly. In fact, that was how Kisame had injured her during their first battle. That time, Samehada had caught her left arm. The weakness was not an obvious one, and the only reason he noticed it was because of his Sharingan. Still, such weakness was unacceptable in battle.

Itachi did not know what possessed him to do so, but before he could stifle it, the words escaped his lips. "Your left side is weak, kunoichi."

She shot him an irritated look before flipping away from Kisame. Landing closer to him, she hissed, "I'm not asking for pointers."

"Keep on distracting her, Itachi-san," Kisame said with a laugh as he propped Samehada in front of him.

His partner was just as arrogant as the kunoichi, Itachi thought as the two of them charged towards each other. Once again, their limbs darted out at a speed which none could decipher unless they had the Sharingan. From what he could see, Kisame was growing careless.

"Kisame. Your head is unprotected," Itachi pointed out blandly.

"Damn it!" Kisame snarled as he ducked away from Sakura's chakra-filled kick. Shooting him a disgruntled look, Kisame said, "I saw that! Don't distract me."

The kunoichi's kick would have connected, and Kisame would no doubt suffer another 'headache' if that was the case. Still, Itachi decided that perhaps he should simply observe and be entertained. After all, there was nothing else for him to do and they were not leaving the place until tomorrow.

Straightening, kunoichi said levelly, "Hey, Shark-Face. There's external interference in this battle. That won't do."

As one, they turned to face him. Itachi simply raised a brow as both of them gave him a meaningful look. Then, to his incredulity, both of them advanced towards him. Were they truly foolish enough to challenge him?

Kisame must have realized his error, for his steps halted. Turning to the kunoichi, he smirked. "You know it's suicide, right?"

Sakura's steps did not falter. Eyes gleaming, she glanced over her shoulders and taunted, "You're scared of him?"

A snort escaped the Mist shinobi. "Not scared, kunoichi. Just not stupid enough to try it."

"Eh! He's only scary because of his genjutsu," she remarked, waving a dismissive hand around.

Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction. He could not help but feel slightly aggrieved at her insinuation. It was true that he preferred his genjutsu, for the simple reason that it was more efficient than physical battles. After all, there was no need to exert himself unnecessarily. However, that did not mean that his other skills were weak.

"See? He's not denying it," the kunoichi said to Kisame in a smug tone.

Kisame cast her an incredulous look.

The kunoichi came closer to him, a challenging grin adorning her features. "So, what do you say to a taijutsu spar, Itachi-san? I'm almost out of chakra, so ninjutsu is not an option."

He regarded her contemplatively, taking in the gleam of anticipation in her eyes. So, she truly wished to fight him? Especially considering that she was not even at full capacity after fighting Kisame? He did not know if he should feel flattered or insulted. Still, perhaps it would be a good exercise to start the day. In the process, he would alert her to his strength.

"Very well."

"No Sharingan," she stipulated.

"The Sharingan stays," he insisted quietly. Whilst her healing had helped, his vision without the Sharingan was inadequate for such a fight.

She tilted her head sideways, giving him a contemplative look. Then she brought her hands up to her own eyes and pressed her fingers to them. Itachi simply watched, wondering what she was doing to her eyes. When she lowered her hands, he noted with interest that her usual jade green eyes were now a brighter green. Were her eyes glowing with chakra?

As if sensing his question, she explained, "Just leveling out the playing field."

"Hm."

What she did to her eyes was of a medical nature, for the chakra was different from her usual offensive one. He was interested to see how she planned to use it, since he did not recall seeing something like that before. With that thought, he stepped into the middle of the training grounds, facing her.

"Come."

Her eyes glittered.

Then she shot towards him.

Eyes following her movements, Itachi did not move until she was almost upon him. At the sight of her fist heading towards his face, Itachi took a step sideways and released a kick. To his surprise, she easily flipped out of the way before he made contact, landing a few feet away. A flicker of interest ran through him as he studied the green glow of chakra in her eyes intently. Deciding to test her, he flicked a kunai out of its holster and blurred towards her.

The early morning sun glinted off her kunai as she reached out to block him. Their weapons met with a clang, and then Itachi spun around away from her. Standing some distance apart, he regarded her thoughtfully.

"What you did to your eyes, it allows you to see my movements," he remarked softly.

She shrugged. "Well, it's only fair, since you have your Sharingan."

"Aa."

In which case, normal speed would no longer suffice. He would have to truly show her what he was capable of. He waited for her next move, but she simply remained staring at him. Why was she not attacking?

"What are you waiting for?" he asked calmly.

"Just waiting for you to prepare yourself," came her retort.

A snort sounded from Kisame, but the Mist shinobi did not comment. The tone Sakura used was similar to the one she bestowed Kisame during their fight. Truly, did the kunoichi expect him to react like Kisame? If so, she had truly underestimated him.

Itachi gave her a condescending look. "Do not be so smug."

Her lips thinned slightly, and his eyes took in the way her hand clenched tighter around her kunai. Then in a flash, she launched into the air. Her body betrayed her actions, and Itachi saw her kick long before it reached him. Once again, he stood unmoving until she was within range. Arm shooting out, he closed his fingers around her ankle and threw her off.

Before she could land, Itachi drove his fist towards her. He saw her eyes widen before she twisted mid-air to avoid the attack. Smirking inwardly, he jumped swiftly into a kick. A gasp sounded from her as his foot connected with her arm. She might be able to see his movements, but her body lack the practice to keep up with him. He had yet to meet one who was able to do so, therefore it was hardly surprising.

Landing in a crouch, she glared at him as she touched her wounded arm. The redness of her skin told Itachi that it would bruise badly, marring her skin. His eyes were drawn to the rest of her exposed limbs. Idly, he wondered if her skin felt as creamy as it looked. When he realized the direction of his thoughts, he immediately gave himself a mental shake. It would not do to regard her in such an inappropriate manner.

A second later, she came at him with her kunai raised. At the last moment, she switched, but he had seen her other fist coming towards him. Dropping low to avoid it, he swept his leg in a wide arc, catching her legs.

Dust erupted around her as she landed on the ground.

A loud laughter instantly followed, but once again, Kisame said nothing.

The kunoichi's eyes were flashing as she glared at him, her body moving in rhythm with her pants. A light sheen of sweat glistened upon her skin, and Itachi could not recall the last time he had seen someone looking so… alive. But he could tell that she was growing weary, for her movements were growing more careless. It was unsurprising, considering that she had been fighting Kisame earlier.

He should end this soon, for it was pointless. Even though she was obviously skilled, the kunoichi would never defeat him in taijutsu, at least, not until she realized that she required more practice in speed. And also never to fight him unless she was at full capacity. With that thought, Itachi streaked forward, reaching her just as she stood up. Their limbs met in swift attacks and counterattacks. Occasional gasps sounded from her as his attacks connected, but Itachi remained unharmed.

In a final move, he delivered a kick to her midsection, throwing her some distance away. Following on swiftly, he reached her before she could get up. Then he planted a foot on her throat, watching her eyes shoot open in alarm. Waves of fear emanated from her, almost tangible in its intensity, telling him that at this very moment, she was truly concerned for her life.

How odd. Surely she realized that this was simply training. He had no intention of killing her, for that would serve no purpose. Besides, her death would only complicate matters and delay his goals.

"Why did you lose?" he asked quietly.

Those green orbs flared with annoyance. "Why don't you tell me?"

His lips twitched as he removed his foot. The kunoichi was the type who would not let go of something once it got into her head. Deciding that it would be amusing to see how far she would go to obtain the answer to the question, Itachi spun around without replying and began to walk back to the house. Behind him, Kisame was laughing.

The kunoichi sputtered indignantly, and then her voice echoed throughout the training grounds.

"Hey! Aren't you going to tell me?!"

Simply for the sake of aggravating her further, Itachi smirked at her over his shoulders before he entered the building.

* * *

Ten days had passed since her encounter with Team Kakashi and they were now back in Rain Country. And so far, Pein had not said anything to her to indicate that he was aware of her emotional outburst. She was inclined to believe that Itachi and Kisame had not said anything to their leader, but she knew that she had to keep her defenses up and be prepared for that eventuality. 

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance at the thought of Itachi. Ever since she had lost to him in that fight, his words had been ringing in her head. Did she possess some sort of weakness that she was not aware of? As far as she could see, she had lost because he was simply stronger than her, not to mention far more experienced. But the way he had said it in that soft, almost mocking voice grated at her nerves. She had tried to get him to spar with her again the next day, but he had declined. She would have to try again, and hopefully he would agree the next time. And maybe this time she could figure out what exactly he had meant by his words.

Now was not the time, though. Since their return to Rain Country, she had been busy trying to get to grips with everything that was Akatsuki. Although small, it looked like a lot of thought had been put into forming the organization, judging by the piles of books in front of her. It had been daunting to see the books lining the walls, and she had been relieved when Tobi had helped her select the ones which she would need.

What would the rest of the hidden villages give up to go through these accounts of the Akatsuki? But as expected, the organization was not stupid enough to allow just anyone to access the information. Her eyes landed on the ring around her left little finger. Without it, she would only see blank pages instead of the writing.

In the piles of scrolls, she had found something more interesting in the form of the bijuu extraction process. Ideas had been pouring into her mind ever since she studied it. The fact that she was responsible for the capture of the hachibi fit really well with her real mission, whichever Shikamaru's plans she chose to go with. The best case scenario was of course, was to keep the jinchuuriki from being captured. But this was a task for the Konoha ANBU, not her. She just have to make sure that Tsunade or the other two got the message in time.

In the event that the capture could not be prevented, she would have to move to the alternative plan. This involved trying to stop the extraction. Sakura frowned, thinking that the probability of success would be low on this one. Which mean that it was likely that she had to resort to the final option. And this option required her to get close to the jinchuuriki. The only thing that worried her was that the idea for this plan was untested. It could all end very badly.

But the Akatsuki scroll had given her valuable information on the extraction process. The statue the Akatsuki summon to seal the extracted bijuu had its own energy cycle, therefore the sealing could only be carried out successfully at a certain point in the cycle. Around that time, there was a window of about a week for the Akatsuki to carry out the extraction process. From the records, it appeared that all the bijuu extraction process had been difficult, except for the one carried out on the Sanbi. The only thing different about the Sanbi compared to the rest was that it did not have a host.

Sakura frowned thoughtfully. If she had to guess, she would say that the jinchuuriki's own life-force and chakra were disrupting the extraction process. Which was understandable considering that the bijuu and the jinchuuriki were practically merged. This sort of tied in with the research she had been carrying out prior to her assignation to this undercover missing-nin mission. In conclusion, if she managed to get the theory to work in practice, the life of the jinchuuriki would be spared, with a side effect of speeding up the extraction process.

She just needed to work a little bit more on it, now that she had additional information. It looked like she would have to resume her research on the jinchuuriki theory.

The door to the library opened suddenly, and Deidara walked in. His gaze wandered around the room momentarily before it settled on her. Wearing a curious look, he strode towards her to peer at the book in her hands.

"Someone's working hard, yeah?" he quipped.

She rolled her eyes at him. "And someone's pretty nosy today."

Deidara raised a brow. It was obvious that the blonde was still wary of her, but at least he was talking to her instead of glaring at her suspiciously each time they met. Still, she was surprised when he pulled out a chair to sit opposite her.

Inclining his head at the book, he asked, "So, you worked everything out already?"

Slumping on the table, she released a heavy sigh. "I thought I wasn't ever going to finish this. But I think I got the hang of it." She lifted her head to stare balefully at him. "Did you have to go through this when you joined?"

He smirked. "No. It's all because you're the treasurer, yeah. You need to know all this shit."

Her forehead fell back onto the table with a thump. Deidara chuckled, but she could not bring herself to move. She remained in the same position for a while until she heard his voice again.

"Just between us, yeah, you were forced to join or what?"

Puzzled, she straightened to stare at him. "Huh? Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

Not quite understanding what was going on, she chose her words carefully. "I didn't want to join at first, but Konan gave me a week to consider the invitation. When she came back the second time round, I decided that there's no harm in checking things out. I don't know what she would have done if I rejected the offer, though." Then it occurred to her. "Did you join involuntarily?"

For a brief moment, an expression that looked suspiciously like anger flashed across his features. Then his usual carefree look was back again. "I had to join because I lost a challenge."

"Eh?" She wondered what he meant by that. Did he mean that he had been forced to join the Akatsuki?

He waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Never mind, yeah. It's history," he evaded.

Guessing that that was all Deidara was willing to say about the matter, Sakura let it drop.

"Is Pein around?" she asked.

Deidara raised a brow. "Remember the golden rule, hm? We can't be all together at the same place, yeah?"

She tried to think of who might be there. Tobi was out somewhere, while Itachi and Kisame were nowhere to be seen although they should be still in Rain Country. She knew that Konan was out on some mission, so where was Pein?

"Use the ring to contact him," Deidara said as he stood up to leave.

"I'll do that."

As the door shut behind the blonde shinobi, Sakura raised her hands and performed the necessary jutsu. Surrounded by darkness, a moment of disorientation overcame her before she received an acknowledgement from Pein. When she everything came into focus again, she found herself, or rather her projection, standing before Pein in some sort of study. To her surprise, Tobi was there in person, standing next to the window.

Pein looked up from the scroll he was writing in. "Sakura," he acknowledge as he replaced his brush on the table. Then turning his attention to Tobi, he said, "We're done, aren't we?"

"Of course, Pein-san," Tobi chirped. "Please don't forget about that thing we talked about, okay? It's really important to me."

With that, the masked shinobi left the room, leaving her and Pein alone. Tobi's tone when he had said those words did not escape her. If she had not known better, she would have thought that she heard a hint of threat in them. But it must have been just the distortion effect of her projection.

"Sakura."

"I've gone through the books."

"And?"

"As far as side missions go, we should really start scouting for some soon, or the funds could run low as early as next month."

"What are your suggestions?"

"There are jobs up for grabs in most countries. Well, except for Earth Country," she muttered darkly. "There's nothing interesting left there. Anywhere else would do. I say maybe Wind Country or Snow Country."

"We have a base in Wind Country, but perhaps Snow Country would be more appropriate for these missions."

Sakura nodded. "Should I go ahead to scout it out first? Or do we all leave together?"

Pein looked thoughtful. Then he said, "You'll leave first. There is no reason for the rest to follow until you found something. Also, don't choose any missions which last more than six or seven weeks. You know what you have to do then."

"The hachibi."

"Yes."

Then she paused as something Pein said nagged at her. Deciding that there was no harm in asking, she ventured, "I read through the scrolls on the extraction process and was just wondering why do we have to wait almost two months to capture the hachibi? Why not now?"

Pein's expression did not change. "Ah, I've neglected to update the records. We missed the last cycle when Zetsu failed to retrieve the hachibi just short of four months ago. The next opportunity for the sealing would be in two months."

"I see."

Two months would be enough for her to work a bit more on the theories of splitting the bijuu and the jinchuuriki. But then, would she be willing to try it out on the hachibi?

"You wish to say something else?"

Her eyes snapped up at his question. Something must have been displayed on her face. She did not mean to raise his curiosity. But should she broach the subject now? Or leave it until later when she had more concrete facts? On the other hand, if she told him her ideas now, he might not be adverse to it later.

"What is it, Sakura?"

Coming to a decision, she ventured, "Something occurred to be when I read through the extraction scroll. Something that might help speed up the extraction process."

A flash of interest crossed Pein's features. "Is that so?"

She nodded, and then explained, "As you know, the bijuu and its jinchuuriki are closely connected. The process takes a long time, and is often complicated because the jinchuuriki's own life-force and chakra are fighting the extraction. Theoretically, if we could keep the jinchuuriki's life-force and chakra from interfering, the extraction process would be much simpler and faster."

As Pein regarded her contemplatively, Sakura keep her unflinching gaze on him. Was that a hint of suspicion hidden behind the interest in his eyes? She could not tell for sure.

After a long while of silence, he asked, "How did you come upon this idea?"

Sakura fought the urge to fidget. Should she tell him that she had just thought of it, or should she just go for the truth? The truth, she should stick to the truth as much as possible.

"In Konoha, I was part of the research team studying the relationship between the kyuubi and Naruto."

"I see."

Pein did not seem surprised at her answer, so was this just a test? Did Pein know about this already, and was simply questioning her to see how honest she was with him? She suppressed the urge to scowl. So he did not really trust her yet. Maybe Itachi and Kisame had told him about what happened after all.

Pressing on, she said, "It is still at the theoretical stage, though. And I need to study the facts further."

Another pause followed, and Sakura forced herself to breathe steadily.

Then finally, Pein spoke. "The idea is interesting. However, I need time to think over it. I'll let inform you when I reach a decision."

It was not quite what she wanted to hear, but she guessed it was as good as it could get for the moment. At least he did not just reject the idea.

"I'll leave now to scout for missions."

Pein nodded. "While you're here, you might want to know that you will be joining Itachi's team from now on."

It had taken Pein long enough to come up with this decision. Itachi and Kisame, huh? It was good that she would be teaming up with them. That would give her more chances to practice with Kisame and find out what Itachi was not telling her about the fight. Yes, she was glad that she was now in their team.

It was then that a small voice that sounded suspiciously like Inner Sakura calmly asked her why she could not do the same with Tobi and Deidara.

Sakura blinked.

She could not answer that question.

* * *

A/N: Hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Please review if you can – it feeds my muse, hehe! Thanks. 

:elle6778:


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Another week gone and here I am with the next chapter! Just for your info, we are about one-third way through the story. Yup, this is a long story.

Thanks to those who reviewed – Blueberry Babe, The Raven Haired Angel, Teenage Crisis, PodRacingprincess, kakashininjadogs, animeismyname, Jester08, Ita-ta, S.T. Nickolian, aznkitty180, crystal teardrops, Kinkatia, Hao'sAnjul, yuki san1, supersillee06, LitoxShorty, magical meli, deedee2034, Carly-chan, lady warpeace, jjayno1, AkatsukiSakura73, faye and troublesomefemale - I'm happy that you all enjoyed the previous chapter.

On another note, I've posted an Itachi-Sakura one-shot called The Chrysalis if any of you want to read it. And as a result of the pairing poll (see my profile page), I'm currently writing a Kakashi-Sakura one-shot, hopefully to be posted in a couple of days.

Enough of my ramblings and onwards to the story…

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 8**

It was a typical morning in Konoha. At the shops and stalls lining the streets, vendors were just starting up their businesses, conversing loudly amongst themselves. There were already a few early shoppers milling about, enjoying the crisp morning air.

It was definitely far too early to be awake, Shikamaru thought, shoulders slumping. Discreetly, he snuck a sideway glance at the reason for his predicament.

Temari, the Suna ambassador who had just arrived a few minutes ago was walking calmly beside him, her eyes occasionally darting to the wares on display in the stalls. He could not understand why, and he could not be bothered to think too much about it, but as troublesome as the woman was, he was once again by her side as an escort.

Knowing that he had brought this upon himself, Shikamaru sighed. Over the last one year, he had escorted her voluntarily. Not that she needed an escort, considering how often she and her siblings turned up in Konoha. It had been said more than once that the Leaf and Sand alliance was nothing like any other alliance. Whilst it was true that it had been set up politically, the whole alliance seemed to have veered towards a friendlier tone over the last couple of years.

"Oi, Shikamaru!"

Suppressing a weary sigh, Shikamaru turned around to face the owner of the boisterous voice. The grinning blonde walked over together with Sai, his eyes flicking back and forth pointedly between him and Temari. The last time Shikamaru had seen them, they were all bandaged up in the hospital as a result of their encounter with the Akatsuki. Whilst Sai's injuries were less severe, the blonde had been stuck in the hospital for a week to heal the effects of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

It was then that Kakashi had told them about Sakura position in the Akatsuki. According to Kakashi, Naruto's reaction had not been pretty, even though it was to be expected. Shikamaru could not help but feel sorry for the poor guy. First it was Sasuke, and now it was Sakura. Even though Sakura's case was completely different from Sasuke's, Naruto would not know better unless he, Tsunade or Kakashi said something. All in all, it was amazing that Naruto could still smile and joke around like nothing was wrong, even if it was only a façade.

"Naruto," Shikamaru greeted blandly as he slouched on without pause.

Naruto leaned towards his ear. "Still not a date?" he whispered loudly, too loudly for it to be a real whisper. Then he gave him a nudge. "So when are you planning to make your move, eh, Shikamaru?"

Beside him, Temari froze. Pausing, Shikamaru closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable explosion. The Sand kunoichi's level of temper and violence almost matched a certain pink-haired missing-nin's. Temari was nothing short of scary when she was angry. He was not disappointed.

"I had enough!" she snapped furiously. "You'll stop this ridiculous talk about dates! Of all things, with the crybaby, no less."

A dull thud sounded, followed by a cry of protest. Shikamaru opened his eyes to see Naruto crouched on the ground with his hand held protectively over his head. Holding her fan in her hand, Temari was glaring down at the blonde.

"Hm… I'm sure that foreign ambassadors are not allowed to attack our Leaf shinobi," Sai muttered thoughtfully.

Sai had a point. How troublesome. Deciding that he should move to prevent this incident from spiraling into something uncontrollable, or worse, a political mess, Shikamaru reached out to grip Temari's elbow. Without a backwards glance, he swiftly guided her away from the two members of Team Kakashi.

"You can let go now," she finally ground out when they reached the open area in front of the Hokage monuments.

Shikamaru released her elbow quickly, having forgotten all about it. "Sorry."

"It's alright." She gave him a small smile, and for some reason, Shikamaru felt something flip in his stomach. It must be because he had skipped breakfast this morning.

Before he could say anything else, a sudden breeze appeared. His eyes widened in comprehension when the ribbon of wind began to curl around him, nudging him insistently. It must be a message from Sakura.

"It's a message," Temari observed, her expression betraying her curiosity.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, not surprised that Temari had recognized it. After all, she was a wind user. Now, all he had to do was to stop her from asking more questions. "Looks like it," he muttered noncommittally.

"Well, aren't you going to see what it says?" she pressed.

Why were women so curious, he wondered. It was such a bothersome habit.

Then Shikamaru turned up to the sky. The clouds were sluggish today, he noted idly. It was good day for cloud watching, then. Maybe he should head over to Chouji's place.

"Shikamaru!"

"Hm?"

"The message."

Yes, the message. He could always hope that the message would go to Tsunade or Kakashi instead. Then he sighed when he realized that the Godaime was most likely still asleep, and who knew where Kakashi was. Otherwise, the message would not have come to him.

Yes, he knew he had to unseal it, but he could not do it with Temari right beside him. He needed to make some sort of excuse. His shoulders slumped even further at the thought. How troublesome.

"Shikamaru?" She was beginning to sound rather scary. Rather like his mother when his father had done something to annoy her, actually.

"I need to go. But I'll get someone to escort you to your quarters," he said as he began to scan the area for a stray chuunin.

Laying a restraining hand on his wrist, Temari shook her head, sending her hair bouncing around her face. "You don't need to. I know how to get there."

"Fine." He paused momentarily, his attention drawn to the sight of her slender fingers on his wrist. For some reason, he found himself transfixed to the sight. How odd.

"Shikamaru?"

His eyes snapped up. Suddenly feeling rather disconcerted by his own distraction, Shikamaru quickly said, "I'll come find you later."

She nodded. "Okay."

With that, they walked off in opposite directions. The thread of wind was swirling around him faster now, impatiently urging him to release it. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he casually made his way to a secluded park. Once he was certain that no one was nearby, Shikamaru performed the necessary hand seals to decode the wind message.

_"Phase 2 progressing well. Appear as if leader's permanent base is in Rain. Left some extraction info in pickup point 2. Side jobs pending in Snow for seven weeks. Then we will move in on the eighth vessel. Be prepared to mobilize then. Miss you all. Take care."_

Shaking his head, Shikamaru sighed. He should not have come up with this convoluted infiltration plan. But as troublesome as it was, he could only be glad that Sakura seemed to be doing well so far. Her messages were growing more infrequent, but that was understandable. He had figured that Sakura must be finding it hard to get away to send them messages, and Kakashi had confirmed it.

Deciding that the message was important enough to wake the Godaime, Shikamaru made his way to the Hokage Tower. The chuunins on duty greeted him as they passed each other on the stone stairs.

"Is the Godaime in?"

One of the chuunins nodded. "Though she's not answering the door. I think she's sleeping."

Shikamaru sighed. How typical. "Can you find Hatake Kakashi and ask him to come here?"

"Yes. I will get on it right now."

Thanking the teenage boy, he continued into the building and then along the corridor which brought him to Tsunade's office. Raising a hand, he rapped against the door loudly.

There was no answer.

Somewhat irritated, he knocked again, this time louder. He heard a muffled curse through the door as something hit the floor with a thump. Cautiously, he took a step away from the door.

Then he heard her. "What is it?!"

Deciding that it was safe to do so, he pushed the door open and walked in.

"Hokage-sama," he greeted flatly as he closed the door behind him.

Tsunade blinked at him blearily. It was obvious that she had just woken up just a second ago.

"What is it, Shikamaru? Can't this wait until later?" the Godaime grumbled irritably.

"I got a message from her."

The Hokage was instantly alert. "What does it say?"

"Looks like the Akatsuki was planning to move in on the hachibi in seven weeks."

"Where?"

"She didn't say."

Tsunade frowned as she propped her chin on her clasped hand. "Maybe she doesn't know yet. In that case, we'll probably hear from her again."

Shikamaru nodded. "There are more. We need to check pickup point 2 for some information about the extraction process. She also said that they are doing side missions in Snow Country for the next seven weeks."

Leaning back, Tsunade sighed. "I suppose I should make sure Team Kakashi steers clear away from that area."

"That would be a good call."

Tsunade frowned thoughtfully. "Sometimes I wonder if we should just tell Naruto the truth."

Shikamaru slumped. He knew that this topic would come up sooner or later. In fact, he was tempted to agree with the Hokage, but his tactician side disagreed. "I'm not saying that Naruto couldn't be trusted, but less people know about this, the less risk we pose to the mission."

A flash outside the window caught his attention then. Shikamaru looked up to find Kakashi peering in, surprised at the Copy-nin's uncharacteristically speedy arrival. Stepping across to the window, he opened it to allow Kakashi entry.

"Yo!" the Copy-Ninja greeted as he climbed in.

"There's such a thing as a door, Kakashi," Tsunade pointed out dryly.

Eye creasing, Kakashi chuckled. "This is faster. So, what's the news?"

Shikamaru quickly brought the latecomer up to speed.

Turning to Tsunade, Kakashi said, "Telling Naruto would not really help Sakura. In fact, it would probably pose a risk to her."

The Hokage grimaced. "Very well." Turning to Shikamaru, she continued, "So we now know more about the leader and the next capture attempt."

Shikamaru nodded, then he added thoughtfully, "Sakura mentioned that the leader, Pein is based in Rain Country."

Tsunade glanced at him quickly. "You have something on your mind, Shikamaru?"

"Hm…"

Rain Country was notoriously difficult to get into. But if they managed it, they could ambush Pein. Without a leader, Akatsuki would certainly be destabilized, at least until they found another leader. This meant a delay to Akatsuki's plans. It was certainly something worth considering, even though it would be troublesome to come up with a plan.

"We could pay Rain Country a visit."

* * *

The teahouse was like any other teahouse in Snow Country at this time of the year. 

Empty.

Which was perfect for her.

Sakura closed her eyes as she breathed in the warm steam from the cup of tea between her hands. It had taken her a week to track down her contacts in Snow Country and haggle fees with them, but it was worth it since Pein approved and had given the go-ahead for all of the missions. Since she had done what she needed to do with the mission scouting and contacting Konoha with the latest development, she could relax a little.

Now, all she had to do was to wait for the four Akatsuki to join her. According to Pein, they would be arriving today. So, she had decided to wait for them in this teahouse instead of being out there in the snow.

It was then that she felt a familiar presence, and a moment later, a gust of frigid air as the door to the teahouse opened and shut.

"Tea, please."

She raised her brow at the person who had sat down beside her.

Deidara raised his brow back at her. "What?"

She glanced over his shoulders. Finding no one, she turned her attention back to him. "Where are the rest?"

"I don't know about Itachi and Kisame, yeah, but Tobi's gone to do some reconnaissance around this village since we're making it our temporary base."

"I've done that. The place is secure," she told him impatiently. "There's no need to do it again."

Deidara shrugged. "Keeps Tobi busy, yeah."

Her lips twitched in amusement as she recalled their interactions over the past month or so. "What with you and Tobi? You always bicker like siblings who can't get along."

"He's annoying, alright. Sasori was a much better partner, even if we argued all the time about art," the blonde muttered. "But Sasori's wrong about permanence being the ultimate beauty of art. Something breathtakingly fleeting, there in an instant and gone another instant, that's what I call art."

Sakura averted her eyes. Even though she knew that she shouldn't, she could not help but feel a little guilty about the part she played in his ex-partner's demise. Until now, she still remembered how twisted Sasori's thinking had been, wanting to be more a puppet than a human. She also remembered how he had calmly asked her if it was something a shinobi should say when she accused him of not knowing what a family was. But now that she thought about it, plus everything she had seen during her travels, that was exactly what was expected of most shinobi. They were expected to live and serve a cause, and put it before their personal interest. Maybe if she had known Sasori like she knew Deidara now-

"Hey!"

She glanced sharply at him to find him watching her with a thoughtful expression. "What?"

The waitress placed his tea before him, and Deidara frowned down at the steaming liquid. "About Sasori…" He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Why does his name make you so uncomfortable, hm?"

She sighed, knowing that she could hardly tell him the truth because she did not even know the answer to that question. "I don't know. It happened such a long time ago."

His lips twitched. "Yeah, you must be what at that time? Thirteen?"

Thirteen? Her eyes instantly narrowed when he glanced at her chest briefly. So briefly that she would have missed it if she was not looking directly at his face. Her fingers clenched into fists. Why, he had some nerve, implying that she was so flat-chested then that she could have passed for thirteen? Offended, she straightened to glare at him.

"Did I really look like I was thirteen then?" she gritted out.

His eyes shifted. "Um…"

"Deidara…"

Then to her surprise, he smiled slightly. "Sasori must have been so mad that he was defeated by someone so young."

Sakura blinked, her ire deflating instantly. "Yeah. But I had help."

"Still, Sasori is a genius like the rest of us. So it's a big thing that you defeated him, yeah. You should be proud of it."

Feeling rather uncomfortable now, she muttered, "I'm not a genius."

He gave her an exasperated look. "Akatsuki only recruits geniuses."

In that case, why did Akatsuki recruit her? It was obvious that she was far from a genius, even though she could do better than most shinobi in various fields. If they wanted a genius, they should have gone for someone like Kakashi. But come to think of it, Kakashi had told her that she had surpassed him, even though she was sure that he was exaggerating.

"Geniuses like you, huh?" she teased with a chuckle.

Deidara smirked smugly. "My genius is expressed in my art."

Rolling her eyes as she recalled what she had seen three years ago, she remarked, "You mean like that time you tried to blow up the entire forest? That explosion almost killed me."

Raising a brow, he said, "See? That proves my point, hm? That beautiful explosion only lasted a fleeting moment, but you remember it years later."

She laughed, not wanting to point out that she remembered Sasori's puppets too. "So, you use those mouths to create your art, huh?"

He placed his hand on the table, palm facing upwards to reveal a smiling mouth. It was the first time she had seen it close up. Her medical side kicked in as she stared at the mouth with interest. She was almost twitching to ask him to let her inspect it.

He must have sensed it, because he grinned. "You want to take a closer look at it, yeah?"

She nodded.

But to her consternation, his grin widened and he curled his fingers into a fist, blocking the mouth from her sight. "Now why should I show you, hm?"

Her eyes narrowed. The tease… "Why won't you show me?"

"Because it's my weapon, and it's stupid to let just anyone prod at it," he declared.

She huffed. "Fine. The next time you're dying, I won't bother saving you."

"Hey!"

"And if I wanted to kill you, I would have left you to die back with that hole in your gut."

Deidara groaned.

Having proved her point, Sakura smiled smugly. Then her smile widened when he grudgingly extended his hand towards her, his expression turning slightly sulky. As she grabbed his hand eagerly, a stray thought occurred to her.

It looked like Deidara was not so bad after all, for an Akatsuki.

* * *

Itachi barely glanced at his surroundings as he trudged silently through the thick snow. All that remained of the forest were bare tree trunks, their darkness contrasting starkly with the white backdrop. Disregarding the snowflakes clinging to his person, Itachi continued forward in the direction of the village with Kisame beside him. This was where they were meant to regroup with Sakura, Deidara and Tobi. 

Suddenly, Itachi's senses went on the alert.

Then his arm snapped out to intercept the kunai headed for his neck. A familiar chuckle reached his ears as he turned around slowly, masking his irritation at such a juvenile action. A little belatedly, he recalled doing the exact same thing to her a few weeks ago in the training grounds.

A moment later, a smirking Sakura appeared some distance away, flanked by Deidara and Tobi.

"Finally! I was beginning to think that the two of you got lost looking for this place," she said.

"She almost got you, Itachi-san!" Tobi exclaimed cheerfully.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. Each time Tobi behaved like this, his suspicion that something was not right with the masked man was reconfirmed. His exuberance was too fake to be true. Still, Itachi knew that he had to bide his time. If his suspicions were right, it should not be too long more before Tobi would be forced to unmask himself, literally and figuratively.

"It was a close one, yeah," Deidara said with a laugh.

"Well, I wouldn't say so. After all, this is Itachi-san we're talking about here, ne?" the kunoichi remarked with a smirk, closing the distance between them.

"Do not do that again," Itachi warned flatly when she stopped in front of him.

She raised a brow. "Oh? Then maybe you should try to be on time, huh? You're late by a whole day."

Kisame snorted. "We got held up."

"What kind of excuse is that, hm?" Deidara interjected mockingly.

Frowning thoughtfully, Tobi turned to his partner. "You used that excuse before, Deidara-senpai. Many times, especially when you were spending time with those women."

Deidara pinned a glare at Tobi. "Shut up, yeah!"

Deciding to ignore the bickering pair, Itachi fixed his attention on the kunoichi. "What is our mission?"

"I'll explain later." She gestured to Deidara and Tobi. "Right now, they are ready to go. But we won't be setting out until tomorrow. We have to wait for another piece of information from my contact."

"Hm."

"So we'll meet back here, Sakura-san?" Tobi asked.

Tapping the ring on her finger, she said, "Pein wants you to report once you're done and then we can regroup for the next one."

"Well, I guess we'll see you in about a few days, yeah," Deidara said as he reached into his clay pouch and began to sculpt a bird.

The kunoichi pressed a piece of paper into Tobi's hand. "Remember to collect the remaining twenty-five million Ryou from the contact."

Tobi nodded.

Itachi watched silently as they mounted the large clay bird sculpted by Deidara and soared away. Then he gave the kunoichi a questioning look.

Gesturing in the direction of the village, she explained, "We'll stay in the village for the night. I've arranged to meet my contact tomorrow at dawn."

With that, she led them forward, her half-open Akatsuki cloak skimming the surface of the deep snow behind her. It seemed that she had not bothered with thicker clothing, remaining instead with her usual attire. With each step, the bottom of the cloak parted to reveal the gentle curve of her legs.

When Itachi realized that he was staring, he snapped his eyes away from the distracting sight. After a moment of consideration, he finally surmised that he was simply wondering if she even felt the cold, considering how little she wore underneath the cloak. But as far as he could tell from her steady steps and her even breaths, she was not feeling uncomfortable at all.

It occurred to him then that the kunoichi was a walking contradiction. Her appearance, for one, was completely unsuitable for a ninja. And yet, he knew that her slight build and her soft colors hid a monstrous strength. Then there was her lack of control over her emotions. No shinobi in their right mind would display as much emotions as she did, but she did not appear to be disturbed by it. Instead, she seemed to revel in her… humanity. And yet, as far as he could tell, this weakness of hers did not adversely affect her performance as a shinobi.

"This will do," she announced when they reached what looked like an expensive inn.

"About time we got out of the cold," Kisame muttered as they went in.

Deciding to allow the kunoichi to procure their rooms, Itachi stood behind her with Kisame. Until he heard her words, that was.

"I'll go get the two rooms, alright?"

Puzzled, Itachi exchanged a look with his partner. There were three of them, so why was she asking for two rooms only. "Sakura-san, are you not staying here?" he asked levelly.

"Of course I am."

The innocent look on her face alerted him that something was amiss. "Then why only two rooms?"

"Maybe she doesn't know how to count," Kisame mocked. "Quite a handicap for a treasurer, don't you think?"

A slow smile crossed her lips. "On the contrary. I'm simply making sure that we don't spend our funds unnecessarily."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly when her meaning became apparent. "You will procure individual rooms for each of us," he instructed stonily.

As Kisame sputtered in realization, the kunoichi shook her head. "It's only for one night." Then her eyes gleamed. "Surely you can manage that without jumping each other."

"Just what exactly are you implying, kunoichi?" Kisame growled in annoyance.

The muscle in his jaw ticking, Itachi suppressed the urge to hurl the kunoichi into the nearest wall. He was certain that the Akatsuki could afford one room each. This business of sharing rooms was simply unacceptable. He had enough problems sleeping as it was without the added distraction of someone else being in the same room.

"No."

She raised a challenging brow. "You could always pay it out of your own pocket."

Itachi was sorely tempted to do so. It was not as if he could not afford it. However, that was beside the point. He refused to let the kunoichi walk all over them in such a reprehensible manner, treasurer or not. They had always stayed in separate rooms unless there was no availability, so he did not see why anything should change now.

Kisame sneered, letting his eyes run up and down her body. "In that case, we should just get one room. Isn't that even better? All three of us can share. All nice and cozy."

When Sakura's eyes narrowed, Itachi could not help but smirk inwardly. Surely she would drop this nonsense now.

"Fine."

Kisame sucked in a sharp breath.

Hardly believing what he was hearing, Itachi ventured flatly, "You will share a room with us?"

She shrugged carelessly. "If it's going to resolve this, then yes, I'll share a room with you two."

Dumbfounded, he simply stared at her. Sharing a room with Kisame was one thing, but sharing a room with the kunoichi as well? Had she taken leave of her senses? No kunoichi in her right mind would agree to such a thing when she could have her own room, unless she wished for certain_activities _to take place.

His mind instantly came up with an image of a nude Sakura pressed between him and Kisame, three pairs of hands roaming over each other's skin.

Itachi quickly flattened the unwanted image. The notion was downright disturbing and he did not understand why he even thought of it.

"One room then," she tossed over her shoulders as she made her way back to the reception.

Itachi was beside her in a second. Before she could speak to the innkeeper, he bit out, "Two rooms."

Much to his puzzlement, the look she shot him was nothing short of amused. Suspicion instantly coursed through him. Had she been playing a joke on them all along? His eyes narrowed slightly. How… juvenile. No, he refused to respond. Deciding to ignore her, he simply snatched up his key and walked away from her.

It was not until he had reached the room he was to share with Kisame that he remembered the scroll he meant to give the kunoichi. Deciding that it could wait until tomorrow, Itachi pushed opened the door and stepped into the room.

* * *

The second she closed the room door behind her, Sakura released the laughter she had held back earlier. Sliding down the door, she continued to laugh softly until her eyes became damp. The looks on their faces were priceless. 

Of course she had no intention of sharing their room, and the two rooms thing was only a joke. If Itachi had not interrupted her, she would have asked for three rooms. But now, the two men were really stuck sharing a room.

A fresh burst of chuckles bubbled out of her lips before she froze. Her eyes went wide when she suddenly realized that this was the first time in a long while that she had laughed so hard. And the reason for it was the expressions on Itachi's and Kisame's faces. Konoha's enemies. Biting her lips worriedly, she sat down on the bed. It felt wrong to be laughing like this, even if it was at their expense, and it made her feel quite guilty.

Damn it, she really did not need to think about something like that now. It would just confuse her and complicate matters. She should just distract herself with something else now.

Sobering up, she reached into her pack to retrieve the scrolls she had been working on ever since she realized that she would be responsible for capturing the hachibi. Unrolling the smaller one, she performed a quick summoning jutsu. A soft puff of smoke exploded over it. Then the smoke dissipated to reveal two metal wristbands on the scroll.

Picking them up, she traced her fingers over the kanji carved on its surface. She had just begun to work on them, but she wished that she had the notes from her old research to make things simpler. As it was, she had to work from scratched based on what she remembered from before.

Her chakra began to fluctuate as she began to study them, stopping occasionally to write her findings down in the larger scroll. It was still all theory at this point, and she knew that there was nothing she could do to change that until she got hold of the hachibi's jinchuuriki.

A pang went through her heart at the thought of the jinchuuriki. What if this did not work? What if all their research had been wrong, and all she would end up doing was to kill the jinchuuriki?

Sighing heavily, she placed the wristbands back on the small scroll and performed the jutsu to seal it. Sakura rolled the scroll neatly after they disappeared in a small puff of smoke. There was no point thinking about it now, she guessed. There was still another hurdle to get through before she could even think of testing this on the hachibi. Pein might not allow her to do it after she explained fully what the entire thing would entail.

Still, she knew that she had to give it a try.

If it succeeded, then Naruto would be safe even if Akatsuki managed to catch him.

Idly, she wondered what her friends in Konoha were doing right now. Before the four Akatsuki had joined her, she had taken a short detour to check on one of the assigned pick-up points and to leave some coded information from Akatsuki's records for Konoha. But to her disappointment, she had found no message from Konoha. But then again, she should have known that they would not send her any messages unless it was urgent, not that it stopped her from checking.

Yawning, Sakura made her way to the bathroom to prepare herself for bed. Her exertion in the research had drained her more than she had realized. Stretching as she walked back out, she crawled into her bed and snuggled under the cover.

In no time at all, she fell into deep sleep.

She woke up just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. Tossing the covers off her, she began to prepare herself for the day. Her mind was filled with the mission ahead, she double checked her equipments and then slung her pack over her shoulders.

Closing the door behind her, she made her way to her teammates' room. The door opened before she could knock, revealing the tall Mist shinobi. He eyed her thoughtfully for a moment before stepping aside to allow her to enter.

Beaming, she asked, "Slept well?"

"Like a baby."

She snorted as she stepped into the room. Somehow, the image of Kisame as a baby did not sit right in her mind. Glancing around, she wondered where Itachi was until she heard the sound of water being switched off.

A moment later, Itachi stepped out of the attached bathroom.

Clad only in a towel.

Sakura blinked at the sight before her. His clothes sure covered a lot. Slowly, without her consent, her eyes ran up his bare legs to his towel-clad midsection, and then paused at the damp skin stretched across his gently rippling pectorals. Unable to stop her wayward eyes, she continued her blatant ogling of his body until she reached his face. To her horror, she began to blush at the mortifying knowledge that he had caught her eyeing him like a piece of…

Wait! Was that amusement in his eyes?

Annoyance instantly overrode her embarrassment. Getting hold of herself, she tilted her head to the side, not breaking their eye contact. She had seen many, MANY male bodies. And this one was nothing special, she told herself firmly. It was just her female hormones reacting to the sight of a naked body, that was all. It could all be explained by simple human biology. So there!

Inner Sakura suddenly appeared in her mind, practically salivating as she declared, 'Biology, my foot! Can't you see how nicely built his shoulders are? Or how sexy those hips look barely covered by a towel. Imagine that towel sliding-'

Sakura forcibly squashed Inner Sakura out of her mind before she could continue, horrified at the thoughts her inner self was entertaining. What was up with Inner Sakura lately? She had been gone for years and now she was suddenly back? Not only she was back, she was back with alarming signs of perversion.

A chuckle sounded behind her, snapping her back to reality.

"Like what you see, kunoichi?" Kisame teased.

She spun on her heels, glad for the excuse to remove her eyes from Itachi's distracting body. "Nothing I haven't seen before," she declared flatly.

"I see. You seemed to be rather… fascinated… a second ago," the Mist shinobi pointed out.

Sakura forced out a smirk. "There's nothing fascinating about naked male bodies, especially after seeing so many of them."

Kisame raised a disbelieving brow. "That's interesting. I wouldn't have guessed that you're the type."

Her eyes narrowed. What was he thinking? Maybe she should clarify it, just in case he got the wrong idea. "I'm a medic-nin, Shark-Face. Inspecting bodies is part of what we do."

Kisame snorted. "I get it. But it definitely didn't stop you from looking just now."

"I certainly hope that you do not make it a habit, Sakura-san. It was rather… inappropriate."

At Itachi's voice, she turned around to find him raising a brow at her, now fully dressed. She could hardly believe that he had dressed right there without asking her to leave the room. Then when his words sank in, she gritted her teeth.

"Rest assured, Itachi-san, that I would attempt to curb my… fascination… in the future," she responded levelly.

As Itachi's eyes gleamed with what looked like mirth, a bark of laughter escaped Kisame. How dare they laugh at her about something like this? Men! Deciding that she had had enough of their teasing, she turned to walk back out of the room.

"Well, are we ready to go?" she snapped impatiently as she planted the conical hat on her head. At least the hat would hide the furious flush on her cheeks.

"Aa."

Acutely embarrassed and discomfited, Sakura kept her back to them as they exited the inn to be greeted by the snowy weather. She had barely taken a few steps into the snow before Itachi came to her side. Tensing immediately at his proximity, Sakura had to consciously force herself to relax. What did he want? Surely he was not there to tease her further. He did not seem to be the type.

"Pein wants you to have this."

Her steps slowed as she turned to him, noting absently that his eyes were the only visible part of him. Then she saw the scroll in his hand.

Reaching out to take it, she asked, "What is this?"

His expression was unreadable. "Open it."

Frowning slightly, she unrolled the scroll.

Then her breath suspended in her chest when she saw the familiar words. The scroll contained the research she had done on Naruto back when she was still in Konoha. With some effort, she forced herself not to react outwardly, hoping that the bamboo hat had hidden any surprise she might have shown earlier. How on earth had Pein managed to get this information? It was a copy, but still, one had to go into Konoha to get it.

"Well, this is definitely not something I expected to see. Where did Pein get it?" she asked, surprised at the evenness of her own voice.

Itachi's eyes did not leave her. "Does it matter?"

She shrugged noncommittally.

After a moment of silence, Itachi said, "Pein gives his approval for you to commence the study."

She forced out a smile as she rolled the scroll shut. "Then it's a good thing he got this for me. Saves me a lot of work."

"Hm."

Pushing the scroll into her pack with steady hands, Sakura turned back to face Itachi. "Let's go, or we'll be late."

"Aa."

As she began to walk again, Sakura tilted the hat lower over her face. Only then did she allow the worried frown to surface. This was not good. Whilst it was true that the research was no big secret in Konoha, the fact that the Akatsuki had gotten hold of a copy of it could only mean one thing.

The Akatsuki has spies in Konoha.

* * *

A/N: And that's it for this chapter. I hope that you are entertained by this chapter. As always, I'd really appreciate it if you could leave me a review to let me know what you think of it. Thanks! 

:elle6778:


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thanks you all for reviewing – Goddess Psyche, jjayno1, Ita-ta, TeenageCrisis, S.T.Nickolian, Reimei Hoshi, BeautifulDisaster9234, AkatsukiSakura73, Jester08, Hao'sAnjul, GoddessOfFlash, Kinkatia, Blueberry Babe, LilBitzer, supersillee06, aznkitty180, animeismyname, midnight000shadow, Luka1Sakura, Yuu-sama, PodRacingprincess, yuki san1, KagomaruLover88, deedee2034, Faye, Coeur Casse, LitoxShorty, Deidara-Roxs-Lili's-Soxz and Sakura Yurei.

Oh, if any of you like Kakashi-Sakura, I've written a one shot on this pairing. On another note, I'll be on holiday next week, so I might not update. Well, all that said, here's the next chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it.

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 9**

It took them a few hours to get to their destination. During the entire trip, Sakura continued to worry about the signs that pointed towards Akatsuki spies in Konoha. It was obvious that she needed to get this information to Tsunade, but how? They were down to carry out missions after missions for the new few weeks and she doubted that she could get far enough away from the rest to send a message.

"What's wrong with you, kunoichi?"

Kisame's voice snapped her out of her contemplations. Keeping her expression even, Sakura glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Just thinking. You have a problem with that?"

The Mist shinobi snorted but said nothing else, much to her relief.

When they arrived at a secluded structure high up on a snow-covered mountain, Itachi held up a hand signaling them to halt.

"Wait."

Understanding the need for caution, Sakura scanned their surroundings carefully. Nothing seemed to be amiss. She raised an inquiring brow at Kisame.

"It's safe," Kisame confirmed.

Assured that there would be no ambush, they sped towards the building. The frigid wind swept against them, but it did not hinder their movements. Once there, Sakura gestured for them to wait and then went to the door to rap against it.

It opened to reveal a middle-aged man who had been her contact for two other prior jobs.

"Ah. You're here." His eyes paused briefly at her Akatsuki cloak, but wisely, said nothing.

"You have everything ready for us?"

"Yes. Yes," the man said as he reached into his pocket. Then he extended a piece of paper towards her. "You came at the right time. It's not an easy job, but I've seen enough of your work to be confident that you can pull this off."

Sakura unfolded the paper. It was a blueprint of sorts with a small area map in one corner, and a crumpled picture of a shinobi attached to it. The hitai-ate on the shinobi's forehead told her that he originated from the Hidden Village of Grass.

"The client agreed to the fee?" she asked as she slid the paper and the picture into her pouch.

"He would pay the forty million Ryou," he confirmed. "The terms are as usual. You get a quarter now and the rest on completion. There's one other thing though."

"What?"

"He wants this resolved within five days. The missing-nin needs to be out of there before the period is up. Otherwise he would be executed."

Eyes narrowing, Sakura bit out, "You said nothing of that before."

The man shrugged. "I didn't know about it until my meeting yesterday. So, do we have an agreement?"

Five days. Five days to plan and execute a mission to break a missing-nin out of some high security holding area. The fact that the client had agreed to pay such an exorbitant fee meant that the holding area was likely to be heavily guarded. She would not be able to manage this alone in that time span, but it should be possible with Itachi and Kisame by her side.

"Haruno-san?"

"I accept."

Nodding, the man said, "Wait here."

Sakura glanced around cautiously as the man went into a room at the back. When he returned, he was holding a pouch.

"Here's ten million Ryou. Go ahead and check it."

Knowing that it was expected of her, she took it and tilted the contents out. Kneeling down, she quickly counted the money before sweeping the notes back into the pouch.

She stood up and adopted an uncompromising look. "I'll return in five days. Make sure you have the rest of the fee."

The man smiled slightly. "You know I won't dare to do otherwise."

With a nod, Sakura left the building and made her way across the snow to her companions. They were so well-hidden that she had a hard time spotting them. But as she neared them, they revealed themselves.

Kisame inclined his head at the pouch fixed to her waist. "How much?"

"Ten million. We'll get the other thirty when we complete the job."

Shaking his head, Kisame grinned. "Making us rich, are you?"

Sakura chuckled softly, and then she sobered. "We only have five days to do this."

"In that case, we should start," Itachi pointed out. "Let's go."

She nodded.

* * *

It had taken them one day to locate the holding facility. The subsequent day had been spent scouting the area, to study the movement of those Snow shinobi guarding the building within the stone walls. Which left them with two days to execute their plan, and one last day to transport the missing-nin back to the mountains.

The wind howled, whipping the snow around them in an erratic pattern. Still, it served to hide their present location, no matter how uncomfortably cold it was. From his hiding place behind a large boulder, Itachi used his Sharingan to study the movements of the guards. They appeared to be working in pairs. The pair at the gates was the most obvious, but there were also those hidden at the top of the stone walls. As expected, they were now changing rotation, and would soon expect the delivery of their dinner.

How predictable, Itachi thought with distaste. He expected more from them since those Snow shinobi within seemed to be at least jounin level in terms of skills.

"She'd better be prepared," Kisame growled under his breath.

"Hm."

"I can't wait to leave this damned place," the Mist shinobi grumbled.

"We'll be staying in this country for a few more weeks," Itachi reminded him.

"What possessed her to pick this country?"

Itachi had wondered the same thing, until he came to the conclusion that most mercenaries, shinobi or otherwise, tended to steer clear of this area particularly at this time of the year. Which meant higher fees for jobs, as evidenced by the forty million Ryou they would get by extracting an unknown missing-nin.

"Money," he finally said.

Kisame huffed.

Itachi held up a hand, cautioning silence when he caught sight of two Snow shinobi stepping out of the gates. They seemed to be expecting something.

Then Itachi caught sight of a heavily cloaked figure making its way through the snow. The figure stopped at the gates to speak to the guards, opening her basket to hand each of them a box. Sounds of flirtatious giggles reached him. Then she entered the gates, leaving the two guards to begin eating. It was hard to tell from this distance, but he hoped Sakura had managed to intercept the real delivery girl, and that this one at the gate was really a henge.

Itachi's question was answered when the two guards suddenly slumped to the side. Not long afterwards, those at the top of the wall began to do the same.

It was time for them to mobilize.

Soundlessly, at a speed too swift for normal human eyes to follow, both of them streaked towards the gates. The fast-acting poison in the food Sakura had delivered earlier ensured them an uninterrupted entrance. Their light footsteps skimmed over unconscious shinobi guards littering the floor as they entered the building. Keeping the layout of the facility in mind, Itachi led them to the basement, where their target was supposedly held.

Then he stopped, his senses prickling in warning.

His crimson eyes scanned their surroundings as Kisame stilled beside him. The long basement corridor before them was damp and mossy, lit only by a few lamps mounted on the wall. The darkness beyond should lead to their destination, but it was far too silent. Furthermore, he did not see any signs of guards, unconscious or otherwise.

A trap, he decided.

Then, all of a sudden, a stab of suspicion took hold of him. Was the kunoichi responsible for this?

Before he could think about it further, a loud hum vibrated through the air. Eyes narrowing, Itachi watched as parts of the corridor wall began to shimmer. A moment later, two teams of Snow shinobi leapt out of the shimmering wall, sneering darkly.

"My, my, it looks like we have intruders," one of them drawled.

"The Akatsuki, huh," another one remarked before he grinned maliciously. "But even the Akatsuki won't stand a chance against all of us."

"Hm. How annoying," Itachi remarked softly.

Taking a step forward, Kisame snorted. "This won't take long."

Four of them darted forward at once. Deciding that his Sharingan techniques were far too sophisticated for the likes of those before him, Itachi raised his hands to perform a rapid series of seals. A simple technique would be sufficient to take out of all of them.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu," he called out, lifting his fingers to his lips.

Cries of pain erupted from the guards as the flames from the giant fireball engulfed them. One by one, the guards fell to the floor, writhing in agony.

"Pitiful," he murmured in distaste as he stepped past one of them.

Kisame shifted beside him as the walls shimmered again. "It's not over yet."

Unsheathing Samehada from its wraps, the Mist shinobi charged forward just as more guards broke out from the shimmering films. Once again, they were easily taken care of. But as soon as they were taken down, more guards appeared from the walls.

Itachi's lips thinned at the sight. They were there to clear an exit path for the kunoichi, but this was getting tedious. They were wasting time here. Where was the she? Had she found their target yet?

His thoughts were cut short when a blue-haired shinobi rushed head on towards him. With a flick of his wrist, Itachi's kunai embedded itself in the shinobi's chest. With a small poof, the man disappeared, leaving a substitute bunch of straw.

It appeared that this shinobi was more skilled than the previous one, he noted idly. Then he spun around as his opponent reappeared behind him with a large shuriken. The weapon descended and the blade sliced into his arm before he could move out of the way. Irked at his carelessness, Itachi immediately fixed his eyes onto the Snow shinobi's.

His opponent immediately froze. A blink of an eye later, the shinobi was on the floor, clutching his head while cries of horror escaped his lips. Stepping towards him, Itachi raised a foot and brought it down hard on the writhing shinobi's neck, sending a loud crack echoing throughout the basement. The shinobi instantly stilled, his unseeing eyes dimming in his death.

Satisfied that this one was dealt with, Itachi turned to face the other guards.

A familiar voice reached him then. "What happened here?"

So Sakura finally decided to appear.

Itachi snuck a glance to find her dropping an unconscious body against the wall, presumably their package. Then the kunoichi spun around, directing a chakra-filled foot towards an approaching enemy. The guard raised his weapon to block, but her foot simply broke through the katana and before it connected with his gut. Crashing into the wall, a harsh cry escaped his lips he slumped down unconscious.

Turning to face a fresh batch of opponents, Itachi registered that he was somewhat appreciative of the fact that Sakura was on their team. He would not want to be on the receiving end of the kunoichi's attacks. Her chakra-fuelled strength was insane, coming from such a deceptively small body. Furthermore, their sparring session a few weeks ago had told him that she was not at her full potential yet.

The corner of his lips tilted slightly when he remembered how it had ended. Perhaps he should enlighten her on the reason behind her loss. Besides, if she succeeded in overcoming that little disadvantage of hers, she could turn out to be a worthy opponent. If that were to happen, he could allow himself to engage in another 'training' session with her. Otherwise, it was pointless to do so, for fighting with someone weak even in practice was simply a waste of time.

Making up his mind to do so the moment he found an appropriate time to speak to her about it, Itachi returned his attention to the fight. While Kisame and Sakura fought their opponents some distance away, he dealt with his with a mix of normal genjutsu and ninjutsu techniques. However, it was not long before he decided that the fight was pointless, for they already found what they came for.

"We need to leave," Itachi announced levelly as he threw a handful of shuriken at two approaching guards.

Kisame glanced at him sharply. A look of comprehension crossed his face before he nodded. "Let's go then," he agreed, bending down to heft the missing-nin onto his shoulders.

"You go first," Sakura called out, still occupied with a persistent enemy shinobi. "I'll catch up."

For a brief moment, Itachi wondered why she wished to remain behind, until he decided that she must have some plan in mind. Without asking for an explanation, Itachi leapt towards the stairs and ran up with Kisame close behind. Glancing briefly over his shoulders, he caught sight of Sakura drawing back her chakra-enhanced fist. His eyes widened when he realized that she was aiming towards the ground. She could not possibly be serious…

Kisame must have seen the same thing, for he rasped urgently, "We need to hurry!"

They broke out into the open just as a thundering crack sounded behind them. A moment later, large fractures began to spread up the walls. Frantic cries sounded as the awakening guards began to scramble to safety.

Then the building caved, throwing up clouds of dry snow into the air as the rumbling sound echoed through the night.

Breathing heavily, Itachi could only stare at the destruction before him.

Shaking his head, Kisame muttered darkly, "She's almost as crazy as Deidara and his bombs."

"Hm."

Itachi flicked his eyes back and forth, trying to see past the clouds of dust and snow. Where was she? Surely she was not foolish enough to bury herself in the rubble. If that was the case, her lunacy was certainly on par with Deidara's. Still, Pein would be most displeased if they lost her so soon after her initiation.

"She said she'll catch up," Kisame remarked with a frown.

Itachi glanced at his partner, not missing the uncharacteristic flash of concern across the Mist shinobi's features. Kisame appeared to be growing increasingly fond of the kunoichi, as evidenced by their frequent sparring sessions and their meals together. He would not be surprised if Kisame suggested that they searched for her.

But before he could say anything, a loud crack sounded from the pile of rubble. Pieces of broken stone shot into the air just an instant before a dark form followed through.

An odd feeling coursed through Itachi as the panting kunoichi landed before them. She was covered in dust and scratches, but her features displayed nothing but excitement. Her green eyes were gleaming, almost captivating in its intensity. She was truly enjoying this. Idly, he wondered if Kisame was right, that she was indeed crazy.

Patting the dust off her body, she smirked at them. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go deliver this runaway boy."

Kisame snorted and then inclined his head towards the rubble. "Anyone left alive in there?"

"It's taken care of," she replied vaguely.

Itachi did not know if she meant that those shinobi were dead or incapacitated, but he supposed that it did not matter. Together, they headed for the leafless forest. To Itachi's relief, they were not pursued. He had had enough of fighting for the day.

* * *

Sakura averted her eyes from the other two as she ran, relieved that neither Itachi nor Kisame bothered to ask for details. Yes, she had blown the place up, but what they did not know was that she had done it to trap the guards, not to kill them.

From what she had seen when she returned with the Grass nin, Itachi and Kisame had killed enough of the Snow guards. And although she knew not to expect otherwise from the Akatsuki, she had felt sick at the sight of those lifeless bodies littering the floor.

"How did you get past the guards?" Kisame asked as they launched themselves from branch to branch.

"Huh? You mean those in the corridor?" She frowned she traveled alongside, her breaths coming out in small white puffs. "They weren't there before."

Itachi glanced at her without breaking a step. "They appeared from the walls."

She tried to think back to what she had done. "I must have set off some hidden alarm when I broke him out of his cell."

"Hm."

"He's heavy," Kisame complained irritably as he shifted the body on his shoulder. "Why is he unconscious, kunoichi?"

She made a face. "He didn't want to come, so I knocked him out. Something tells me that our client is the Hidden Village of Grass."

"So they want their missing-nin back bad enough to pay for it, huh?" Kisame remarked, casting a thoughtful look at the unconscious shinobi. "I wonder what's so important about him."

"It is none of our concern," Itachi pointed out flatly.

She nodded quickly. "Yeah. So long as we get him back to that mountain, our job is done." The last thing she needed was for Kisame to tear the Grass nin apart to find out what was so special about him.

Hours passed as they continued to traverse across the almost bare treetops, eager to complete the mission. She could see a pinkish glow in the horizon, telling her that soon it would be dawn. There was another half a day to go before she could sleep, she thought as she stifled a yawn. Idly, she wondered how Deidara and Tobi were doing at their end.

"Sakura-san."

Hearing Itachi's call, she cast him an inquiring look, slowing down slightly. To her puzzlement, she found him drawing closer to her, his expression betraying nothing as usual.

"How would you judge your own abilities?"

Bewildered by the suddenness of his words, Sakura frowned slightly. "It's adequate for my purpose," she replied cautiously.

"Merely adequate." His eyes flickered. "Then you lack practice."

Sakura tensed, her brows immediately twitching in displeasure. On her other side, Kisame chuckled, but he said nothing. Her temper rising, she clenched her hands into fists. There she was, traveling silently between them, minding her own business, and Itachi suddenly decided to insult her? Who did he think he was?

"Itachi-san. Are you trying to get on my nerves?" she finally ground out.

Glancing sideways at her, Uchiha quirked a brow before replying blandly, "It was simply an observation."

An observation? An irritated huff escaped her. "In that case, do you mind not observing me so closely?"

Kisame laughed. "Why, kunoichi? Can't take a little advice?"

"Advice?" Sakura sputtered incredulously. "If I want advice, I'd ask for it."

"You did."

Surprised, she shot Itachi a questioning look.

"This is the reason behind your pitiful loss during our sparring." Itachi's tone was flat, almost uninterested.

Her temper flared further. Who was he calling pitiful? How dare he…

Wait…

She blinked in comprehension as his words sank in fully. "So I lost to you because I lack practice?" she ventured uncertainly.

Eyes fixed to the front, Itachi nodded. "The medical jutsu you applied on your eyes allows you to track my movements. However, your body is far too weak, far too inadequate to react to the information."

_Weak?! Inadequate?!_ Her eyes narrowed into slits, and once again, her brow began to twitch. Why must Itachi use all these words? It was almost like he was taunting her.

Annoyance aside, it struck her as odd that the Uchiha Itachi had seen fit to enlighten her of something like this. Was he doing it just because she was on his team and he did not want her weakness to slow him down? When the hell had she given him a reason to think like that anyway?

"I see." Her voice was brittle. "And why are you telling me this now?"

"To see if you could become stronger."

Her only response was to stare at him disbelievingly. Stronger? Then, much to her annoyance, he cast her a challenging smirk.

Sakura immediately bristled. Now that was definitely something she could not ignore. Just wait and see, Uchiha. Now that he had tossed her the challenge, there was no way she was going to back down.

* * *

Finally, the last mission was now complete, Sakura thought as she peeled of her grimy clothes in the changing room next to the hotsprings. And this, this little break at a hotspring resort was a well-deserved reward for them. She would rest today, and then maybe tomorrow, she could finally start working on brushing up her skills.

After she had gotten over her initial annoyance, Itachi's words had nagged her for the last five weeks. It did not take a genius to realize that he was right. Although she could temporarily enhance her eyesight with her medical jutsu, it did not mean that her mind or her body could process the information fast enough to come up with the most effective counter attack. That was why she had lost so badly to Itachi even though she could see his every move.

But what baffled her most was his reasoning. Why did he want to see if she could become stronger?

Walking out of the changing room into the bathing area, she finally decided to shrug it off as another one of Itachi's peculiarities. Working close to him for the past six weeks in Snow Country, she had learnt more about the Uchiha. Like how he disliked delays, even though he could be infinitely patient when he set his mind to it. Or how efficient he always was, choosing not to do more than what was absolutely necessary.

'Or how he always frowns slightly when he pushes his hair out of his face,' Inner Sakura suddenly added in a dreamy tone.

Surprised at Inner Sakura's sudden appearance, Sakura's steps stilled.

'Oh, don't forget how much he likes sweet food. And he seems to have a special liking for dango. Remember the way he closes his eyes just after the first bite, like he wants to savor-"

Stifling a frustrated scream, Sakura slapped her hands to her head to stop Inner Sakura's rambling. Enough about Itachi! She inhaled deeply to calm herself, and only dropped her hands from her head when she was sure that Inner Sakura had retreated to the back of her mind.

The mission, Sakura. Focus on the mission. Shaking her head firmly, she forced herself to think about the events of the last few weeks.

Since their arrival at Snow Country, they had carried out fifteen missions between the five of them. Trying to make a good impression on their leader, she had pushed them hard until all the allocated missions were completed successfully. There was only one small hitch where Deidara and Tobi had to call her because one of her contacts had refused to hand the money over without her presence.

Her brows furrowed slightly. It was an understatement to say that she was surprised at how easy it was to work with the four of them. She did not know what she had expected, but definitely not the easy camaraderie they shared. In fact, it was disconcerting just how well she fit into the Akatsuki. It was almost as if she was back in Konoha, working with Naruto, Kakashi and Sai.

During the course of those weeks, they had reported to Pein twice by projecting themselves to Rain Country. The copy of the scroll Pein had obtained from Konoha helped a lot in the progress of the jinchuuriki work. There was only one more week to go before they had to capture the hachibi, but she was fairly certain that she had learnt enough to confidently execute the separation jutsu.

What worried her most over the last few weeks was the issue of spies in Konoha. She urgently needed to get a message to Tsunade, but with all these missions and the other Akatsuki's constant presence, she had not been able to do it. All she could do was to wait, and tell herself that since no one but Tsunade, Kakashi and Shikamaru knew about her true status, she should still be quite safe within the Akatsuki. She just hoped that those spies, whoever they were, would not cause too much trouble within Konoha.

Closing her eyes, Sakura sighed blissfully as she sank fully into the steamy hotsprings. It was good that she was the only one in there, because the recently healed wounds on her body would no doubt attract quite a lot of attention. The lack of patrons was unsurprising, considering that the country was often struck by snowstorms at this time of the year. In fact, they were probably the only ones there.

Idly, she wondered if she should go find another mission for them to do, seeing that they were now free. After all, there was no such thing as too much funds, right?

Itachi's scowl of displeasure instantly came to mind. Followed swiftly by Kisame's low growl and Deidara's loud cries of protests.

She winced involuntarily. Alright, maybe more missions would not go down too well with the rest. Just a week ago, Tobi had casually let out that they did not usually carry out so many side missions, especially without so much as a break in between. And although they had not said anything, she had clearly seen the relief written on their faces when she announced that they were done with the missions.

Her thoughts were broken when her senses suddenly pricked.

Fully alert, she glanced around her until her eyes settled on the bamboo wall separating the women's and the men's area. Something told her that her unease was caused by something from the other side of the wall.

Hand reaching out for the kunai she left under the towel at the water's edge, she slowly turned around. Then she climbed out of the water and wrapped a white towel securely around herself before walking towards the wall. Pressing her ear against the bamboo, she waited until she heard the muted footsteps and sensed the familiar chakra which informed her of Deidara's presence.

For a while, there was nothing amiss. Then she heard the not so subtle whispers.

"No. Don't do it."

"Shut up, Tobi."

"Tobi really thinks this is a bad idea. You're going to make her mad."

"No one asked you to follow me, yeah."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. What was Deidara up to? Could it be possible that he was trying to spy on her while she was bathing? She could hardly believe his audacity. It was something she expected from Jiraiya or Naruto. She could not believe that one of the Akatsuki would even think of doing something like this.

Her eyes widened incredulously when the tip of a senbon slid through between two bamboo slats to her left. Brows ticking, she clenched her hands into fists.

Then she saw red.

Without another thought, she drew her fist back and slammed it into the wall.

The fragile bamboo wall instantly shattered.

Amidst the sound of clattering bamboo pieces, a loud yelp of shock reached her ears. When the dust settled, Deidara was sprawled unconscious at the edge of the hotsprings, a large bruise forming on his left cheek. A similarly towel-clad, shaking Tobi was standing a safe distance away, while the other two simply stared at her intently from the other end of the hotsprings.

Hotsprings…

Sakura's face burned at the realization of what she had just done.

When she noted rather belatedly what all of them were wearing, or were not wearing, she instantly cursed her own stupidity. Especially when her eyes met Itachi's and Kisame's amused ones. Even though she saw nothing but chiseled chests, the fact that she knew that those two were naked under that steaming water did not do much to calm her mortification.

As a last ditch effort to save her dignity, she tilted her chin up proudly. "What are you looking at?" she snapped belligerently.

Kisame chuckled. "If you want to join us, you should just say so. There's no need to knock down the wall."

Glaring at Kisame, she pointed a finger at the general direction where Deidara was down unconscious. "Don't you dare talk as if you didn't know what he was up to! And-" Her voice faltered when she noticed the direction of Itachi's gaze.

Cheeks flaming, she glared at him. "Itachi-san! Do you mind not staring?"

Obviously unperturbed, his eyes slowly traveled from her body up to her face. "I'm merely returning your gesture, Sakura," he drawled smoothly.

Her cheeks heated further when his implications sank in, not to mention that he had purposely dropped the '-san' from her name. Stiffening her spine, she ignored the sniggering Kisame in favor of glaring at the now-smirking Uchiha who seemed to have resumed his lazy perusal of her body. His action was too blatant, giving away the fact that he was doing it deliberately just to rile her.

Inner Sakura chose that very moment to make her unwanted presence known. 'He's looking at us! See that? He couldn't take his eyes off us! Shannaro!!'

Sakura mentally smacked her smug inner self out of the way before focusing on the smirking man before her. "Well, are you done staring?" she sniped irritably. "Your… _fascination_… is quite disturbing."

Kisame let out a guffaw of laughter, slapping his hand against the water surface. "Itachi-san, I believe no other woman has ever said that to you."

"Keep out of this, Shark-Face!" she snapped.

"Perhaps you should join us. You appear to be cold," Itachi remarked casually.

She fumed. Just what the hell was Itachi looking at? Men, they were all perverts, Akatsuki or not! Aggravated beyond belief, she gritted her teeth and spun around to return to her side of the hotsprings. Pausing beside the now-awakening Deidara, she reached down and yanked him up by his arms.

His blue eyes instantly shot wide open in alarm. "S-Sakura-san…" he stuttered. "I-It's not what it looked like, y-yeah…"

She shook him hard, repeatedly bashing the back of his head against the floor while she hissed, "Peek at me again and you will _DIE_! You hear me, Deidara?!"

With that, she punched the cross-eyed Akatsuki in the gut and then straightened to march back to her section. Ignoring Kisame laughter, she went straight to the changing room and began to throw her clothes back on. So much for relaxing, she thought darkly.

That was it.

Those four would go on a mission tomorrow.

Her eyes narrowed vindictively.

A long, cold mission.

* * *

Itachi could not help but smirk as he followed the sway of her hips as she strode away from them. Truly, her actions had been nothing short of foolish. Had she not considered the repercussions of knocking down the wall separating the two bathing areas?

Still, it allowed him and the rest a glimpse of what she had hidden behind her loose black and grey attire. As far a kunoichi went, her figure could even be considered pleasing to the eye.

"Not bad, huh?" Kisame remarked with a chuckle. "A little skinny for my taste, though."

"Aa."

Leaving the unconscious Deidara by the side of the wall, Tobi entered the water to join them. "I tried to stop him," he said plaintively.

"He asked for it," Kisame brushed off unsympathetically. "It's not like he doesn't know that the kunoichi can be brutal when she wants to be."

Tobi turned to Deidara before returning his attention to them. "What now? He's out cold."

"Throw him into the water to wake him up," Kisame suggested.

"But he'll drown."

Frowning impatiently, Kisame snapped, "Then just get him back to his room. He'll wake sooner or later."

After a while, deciding that he had had enough of the bath, Itachi stood up and wrapped a towel around his hips. Besides, the owner of the resort would soon appear to demand compensation for the shattered wall, and he wished to be dressed for the confrontation. Idly, he wondered if they should hand over the compensation from their stash of Akatsuki funds, or simply get rid of the proprietor, and hence the problem.

A sudden flash of warmth around his finger drew his attention downwards. His ring was glowing. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the rest doing the same. Even Deidara, who was just sitting up with a loud groan.

"Pein's calling," Kisame muttered.

Itachi nodded. "I will project from my room."

A short while later, he was dressed and back in his room. Closing his eyes, he focused a jutsu on the ring and projected himself towards Pein's location.

When his surroundings came into focus, he found himself standing in an unfamiliar place with the four men and Konan. Surprisingly, Sakura was not present.

"Where is this?" Itachi asked warily.

"Somewhere safe," Pein replied vaguely.

Itachi did not miss the annoyance which flashed across Pein's features. Something must have happened while they were away.

"Why the change of location, hmm?" Deidara asked curiously.

"The main base was compromised about a week ago," Konan told them flatly.

Kisame raised a disbelieving brow. "What? How did that happen? No one could get into Rain in the first place."

Pein's eyes darkened. "Konoha and Suna managed." His tone was cold.

Itachi frowned. So, Konoha and Suna had finally found their base. He supposed it was simply a matter of time, seeing how hard those two countries had been pursuing the Akatsuki in recent years. In any case, it had been rather foolish of Pein to insist on remaining in the same place.

"Are we retaliating?" Itachi asked.

"No. This is not why I called you." After a short pause, Pein continued, "I want to brief you on another mission."

Deidara sputtered, his eyes rounding. "Another one? But we've just done… what? Fifteen missions in the last six weeks, yeah!" he exclaimed incredulously.

Itachi's eyes narrowed in suspicion when an amused smile flashed across Pein's features. Then their leader replied, "I'm aware of that. And thanks to those missions, our financial situation is now more than healthy."

Kisame growled. "The kunoichi must be the one behind this new mission."

Itachi suddenly had the urge to tighten his fingers around a certain kunoichi's neck. The sheer number of jobs they had carried out over the last few weeks was nothing short of ridiculous. He was certain that his eyesight had deteriorated exponentially from overuse since the kunoichi joined them. This was not why he had chosen to join the Akatsuki. He joined Akatsuki to find answers to his questions and to give himself the opportunity to increase the level of his power, not to carry out these mundane missions.

Scratching the back of his head, Tobi turned towards Deidara. "Do you think this is because you tried to…"

Deidara shot the masked man a warning glare, but he was too late. "Tobi…"

"… to look at her while she was bathing?" Tobi finished blithely.

Konan shot Deidara a frown of disapproval. "What were you thinking, Deidara? No wonder she was so angry when we saw her earlier."

"Hey, who said I was peeking, yeah! I didn't even see anything!" The blonde pointed to the lump at the back of his head. "And look what I got instead."

Displeased that Deidara's action had landed them yet another mission, Itachi pinned a steady glare onto the blustering blonde. "You deserved it," he remarked coldly.

Deidara cast him a challenging look. "You're saying that you didn't look when she crashed through the wall in nothing but a towel, hmm?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed in irritation when he realized that he could not deny the accusation.

"That's enough," Pein interjected calmly. "Whilst Sakura had indeed approached me earlier to request another mission, it is not the reason why you're here."

Itachi reined in his surprise. So, if this was not one of the fund-raising missions, it must be an Akatsuki mission. The increasing frequency of these missions could only mean that they were nearing their goals.

"We are moving in on a new territory."

"Which one?" Kisame asked.

"Tea Country. It is somewhat a follow up to the protection scroll mission. Without the scroll's powers, their defenses are almost non-existent. We'll be working on the weakest link first. The Daimyou."

Itachi nodded. It made sense to take over Tea Country, considering its size. Its lack of a proper shinobi village also meant that resistance would be minimal.

"So, what do we do?" Deidara asked.

"You will get in contact with our spies in the country. Instruct them to gather men and begin launching attacks internally. When the situation becomes unmanageable, we will approach the Daimyou and offer to deal with the trouble, in exchange for his loyalty."

Sakura was not present. Did that mean that they would mobilize without her? "What about the kunoichi?" Itachi asked.

Deidara smirked mockingly. "Looks like you're quite interested in her movements, yeah?"

"I merely wish to know who I'm working with," Itachi responded blandly. Deidara's insinuation was not lost on him, and he could not help but wonder how the blonde arrived at such a ridiculous conclusion.

"But it's okay to be interested in her, right, Itachi-san? Sakura-san is strong and pretty," Tobi added in an innocent voice.

Before Itachi could respond to Tobi's inappropriate remark, Pein held up a hand for silence.

"Our spies expect to be paid well for their efforts. Sakura's main task is to collect our money from the storage locations in Wind and Waterfall Country to fund this operation. Because she's new at this, there will be a slight reshuffle of teams. Itachi, Kisame, the two of you know where to find the money. One of you will go with her while the other will track down the next jinchuuriki."

"Itachi-san could balance Sakura out with his genjutsu," Tobi suggested. "Isn't that right, Itachi-san?"

"Aa." Itachi kept his expression impassive, even though Tobi's words ignited another spark of suspicion within him. What was Tobi's real intention in wanting him to go with the kunoichi? Also, was there something behind Tobi's comment about the interest in Sakura?

"Well, that's settled then," Pein concluded. "Deidara and Tobi will head to Tea Country. Kisame, you'll start tracking the hachibi. Itachi, you'll lead Sakura to our funds. You have a week to complete this. Then you will regroup and provide backup to Sakura while she captures the hachibi."

Pein was doing it again. It was not obvious unless one was looking out for it. But it did not escape Itachi's notice that Pein was always too agreeable to Tobi's suggestions during these meetings.

Ever since their first meeting, Itachi knew that Pein took orders from someone else. But it was not until the recent years that he had pinpointed Tobi. With his orange mask hiding his identity and his seemingly carefree attitude, Tobi was the least suspicious of all of them, if Itachi had not known better.

And now, with the conversation with had with the kyuubi and other things he had discovered, the puzzle was beginning to fall into place.

* * *

A:N: Finally! Itachi and Sakura will be ALONE in the next chapter. I know… I know… it took me long enough to get to this point, hehe! Well, as always, please review if you can. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: I'm back from vacation, so updates should be regular from now! Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are great. Big hugs to: cherryline music, NightWing101, troublesomefemale, Dark Darianna Minamino, whitedeathangel03, Agata93, Faye, Deidara-Roxs-Lili's-Soxz, LitoxShorty, Blueberry Babe, crystal teardrops, Luka1Sakura, supersillee06, Unwritten-Secrets, Illidan the Half Demon, Tatacolt, sympatheticassassin, .SweetAssassin, Kinkatia, Jess Ishtar, fallenleaves142, Leila411, Nara Merald, Pebble's Daydream, nekokigin, Hao'sAnjul, madjane, weasles 'n cherryblossoms, S. T. Nickolian, kakashisninjadogs, aznkitty180, animeismyname, Ita-ta, ArjunaAnja, Goddess Psyche.

Also, I need about 20 votes or so in my pairing poll (on my profile) before I close it. So if you haven't voted, I'd appreciate it if you could do so. Thanks:)

Here's the next chappie. Enjoy…

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 10**

"Will be traveling to Wind and Waterfall this week. On a more important note, Tea will need some help around the same time. As always, take care. Especially around those spies at home."

Stepping to the window, Sakura went through the necessary seals to release the wind jutsu as her mind went over her words again, making sure that it contained the necessary information without being too specific. As always, a familiar stream of breeze curled around her before it swept out of the window, heading straight for Konoha.

She sat next to the window long after her wind message had left her. It was fortunate coincidence that she had gone to speak to Pein without the rest, meaning that she was now able to send the urgent message without the fear of being exposed since they were all occupied in the meeting.

Whatever Akatsuki had planned for the takeover, she just hoped that her message would reach Tsunade in time. It would be bad if Akatsuki got control of a country as big as the Tea Country. Pein had not explained their plans in detail to her, but that was to be expected since she was not involved in the actual move against Tea Country. To ask for more detail would raise suspicions, since her role was simply to gather their funds together.

The last time she had been there, Tea Country was not as pleasant as it had been during her genin days. Power grappling between the Daimyou and other political factions had turned the country upside down. The head of the Wasabi family, Wasabi Jirocho, whom they had once helped years ago, had been killed, leaving his ex-Konoha ninja ward to fend for himself. But at least Morino Idate had managed to get out of there before he got killed as well.

Sakura smiled slightly when she recalled the last time they met about half a year ago. Even though he had felt nothing but hatred towards ninjas when they first met, the circumstances in Tea Country had given Idate no choice but to return to that sort of lifestyle. Their coincidental meeting had resulted in them being temporary partners for a mission in Iwa. Although it had not been the first time she had worked together with rogue shinobi, it was different because that one time, the missing-nin was someone she had known before. Idly, she wondered how Idate was doing. He must be busy, leading a team of rogue shinobi.

Come to think of it, she had better get ready to move now, seeing that they only had a week to do retrieve the money. Sighing, she slumped slightly. She had hoped to get a couple of days rest in this place, but that was impossible now. Still, it was good to know that she would be out of Snow Country soon.

As she stuffed her just-washed clothes into her pack, she thought of what Pein had said about a temporary reshuffle of partners. Even though she was officially in a team with Itachi and Kisame, she had gone on missions with all of them at some point in the past. They had worked surprisingly well together, and Sakura almost felt as if she belonged if not for the fact that the Akatsuki was a criminal organization that she was currently infiltrating. The whole idea was somewhat worrying.

A knock sounded on her door.

Without pausing in her packing, Sakura called out, "Yes?"

She glanced up when the door opened to reveal Itachi, already dressed in his Akatsuki cloak. Her unbidden thought of what he looked like under the cloak brought their most recent encounter to mind and she glowered darkly at him. If he noticed her expression, he was not reacting to it. Instead he walked calmly into her room until he stood beside her.

She gritted her teeth. It was very unsatisfying to glare at someone who refused to react to it. And that very fact annoyed her even further.

"Itachi-san. How may I help you?" she asked with exaggerated politeness.

The corner of his lips tilted slightly. "Surely there is no need for such formality."

Of course. After he ogled her breasts. "If you say so," she responded dryly.

"Are you prepared?"

Nodding, she slung her pack over her shoulders. Then she looked past him to the door. "Where's Kisame?"

"He will not be joining us."

So there would be only the two of them? She shrugged inwardly. Money retrieval sounded like a simple enough mission. So one Akatsuki was as good as another, so there should not be any problems, right? She would be fine traveling with Itachi alone.

As she walked out behind the Uchiha, Sakura tried to ignore the cartwheels Inner Sakura was performing in her head.

* * *

Itachi leaned back against a tree trunk, his eyes fixed to the small flickering fire Sakura was currently tending to. They had spent the entire day traveling before they decided that it was best to stop for the night next to a river. Sleeping outdoors was far from luxurious, but considering the distance to the next village, they did not have much of a choice. Besides, it was only for one night as they would reach Waterfall Country in half a day. 

A huff of exasperation brought his attention up towards the kunoichi. A gust of wind had almost blown out the fire that Sakura was attempting to keep going. Raising himself to his feet, Itachi made his way towards her. She glanced up, surprise evident upon her features.

Without a word, he performed a simple fire jutsu and once again, the fire was burning strong.

"Thanks," she muttered before turning back to the fire.

He watched silently as she brought the skewers of fish closer to the flames and soon, the scent of cooking fish filled the air around them. It was only then did Itachi realize that neither of them had eaten for the whole day. Usually, Kisame would have reminded him of such things, but like him, it appeared that Sakura was not one to stop for such things either.

"It'll be ready in a few minutes," she announced, turning the fish over.

"Were you not hungry earlier?" he asked curiously.

She glanced at him, the fire reflecting off her eyes. "I took a soldier pill."

"Aa."

With Kisame around, it had not been necessary to carry soldier pills with him. But Itachi recalled taking them when he had gone on missions as a part of Konoha ANBU. Those days seemed like such a long time ago.

"You didn't take any?" she asked, frowning thoughtfully at him.

"No."

"You mean you've been traveling the whole day without sustenance, and no pills?" she remarked, sounding incredulous.

"Aa."

She peered at a skewer of fish intently before passing it to him. "Here. Eat before you faint on me."

Taking the skewer from her, he raised a brow. "Faint?" As if he would succumb to such a weak display.

"Yes, faint. So eat." She paused to take a bite from her fish, and then swallowed before adding, "I'm planning to do much healing during this mission."

He gave her a questioning look.

"Oh, I guess you notice just how prone Deidara and Tobi are to getting injured. I've only been with them only on a few missions but each time, I had to heal them. First was the one in Wave Country, and then there was the one when they got into trouble with my contact."

Itachi stilled. So, this kunoichi had had the opportunity to get close enough to Tobi to study his physical state. In all these years, he had not had the opportunity to do so, or even to view Tobi in a fight. Therefore, he remained uncertain of what the mysterious Akatsuki was capable of. The kunoichi might be able to shed some light upon some of the questions on his mind. However, he had to word his queries carefully to avoid suspicions.

"Was either of them seriously injured?" he asked casually, glancing sideways at her.

Her brows furrowed slightly. "Not really. It's hard for the enemies to get to Deidara because he's up in the air most of the time. But when he actually gets injured, it's bad. It's a different story with Tobi, though. His injuries are normally just minor scratches."

"Hm." He knew all he needed to know about Deidara. All he was interested in was Tobi. Trying to lead the conversation back to Tobi, he asked, "You and Tobi fought on ground?"

She cast him an odd look as she swallowed her fish. "I can't very well fly, and neither can Tobi." After a pause, she continued, "Not that Tobi has much to worry about."

"What do you mean?"" he prompted.

"Well, Tobi uses some kind of genjutsu technique which fools the enemy to think that he's closer to them than he actually is. So although it looks like the enemy is stabbing him, the enemy is actually stabbing thin air. That genjutsu is almost undetectable and Tobi is unbelievably fast."

Surprise at her level of perception, for it was unlikely that Tobi would have disclosed this to her, Itachi asked, "Tobi told you about this genjutsu?"

A grin made its way to her face as she shook her head. "No, I enhanced my eyesight. You know, that jutsu that you told me to practice?"

"Hm."

Itachi's attention went to her jade-green orbs, immediately recognizing the mischievous gleam in them. Idly, he noted that she was rather… colorful for a kunoichi, even though the odd mix of green and pink seemed to go well together. She was the oddest kunoichi he had ever encountered. And not only in terms of looks. Her feisty attitude, plus her displays of emotions also made her stand out.

His lips twitched slightly as he recalled their conversation after their first mission together. She had not been ashamed of displaying her emotions then, and had not bothered to do so since. Unlike him. But then again, she had not undergone the type of conditioning he had gone through. Nor the type of training he had unwitting submitted to when he was young.

Slowly, as his surroundings faded into insignificance, his mind began to replay the scene from the first of the so-called training.

_Something was bothering him. Frowning in discomfort, Itachi rolled over on his futon, his five-year-old body barely making a dent in it. His senses told him that something was wrong. But what? _

_Then he heard the soft shuffle of something against the tatami mat. _

_His eyes shot open to see flashes of red. Stunned, he did not react immediately. Then, when he finally got a hold on himself, he found two dark figures looming over him. Their aura was threatening. Who were these people? He could not see their faces, only their concealing masks._

_Heart racing, he tried to scramble off his futon. But before he could do so, a large hand gripped his forearm. His eyes widened in alarm when another hand clamped over his mouth. There was no time to protest, no time to fetch the kunai he had left next to the shoji screen. _

_Refusing to surrender, Itachi began to struggle. He sank his fingers into the wrist, trying to pry it from his mouth so that he could call for help. But they were too strong, too big and he was too weak to even break free from their hold. His panic grew as he found himself dragged backwards towards the window. As much as he tried to stop, his bare feet found no purchase on the tatami mat. _

_A fist landed in his stomach, and he doubled over in pain. _

_Then those hands were gone. _

_Horror suffused his features when he realized that he was flying through the air out of the window. Before he could scream, his back hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of him. Soon, he skidded to a stop. Stunned, he could only lay there, trying to catch his breath. What was happening to him?_

_Then they were there again, casting their dark shadows over him, blocking the moonlight. _

_With a strangled gasp, Itachi got to his feet and began to run. It was simply not possible for him to fight them at his skill level. He needed to get away from them to find help. _

"_Help!" he shouted frantically. "Somebody HELP ME!"_

_He rushed to the nearest door and started to pound on it. "Please!"_

_Before he could call out again, he was yanked away from the building. A fist met his jaw, snapping his head back as a string of blood escaped his lips. Then once again, he flew through the air until he hit the solid wall surrounding the Uchiha compound. Sliding down the wall, he gasped at the piercing pain in his side. He must have broken something. _

_His eyes snapped up to find those two figures approaching him slowly. Choking back a groan, he tried to get up, only to fall back down when he realized that his legs were not working. His frantic eyes glanced past them in search of help. _

"_Someone…help me!" he gasped, hating how weak he sounded, hating how vulnerable he felt. _

_He was the Uchiha heir. He was supposed to be strong._

_Then he saw the movements from the houses. Windows opened briefly and then quickly slamming down again. His lips parted in confusion. They saw him being hurt, but why did they not come out to help him? He felt sick and his vision swam. Rubbing his eyes, he turned to the other side. _

_In one of the open windows, he caught a glimpse of his uncle. Hope instantly coursed through him._

"_Ojii-san… OJII-SAN!" he called out desperately._

_To his horror, that window slammed shut as well. _

"_W-Why…" he whispered, hardly noticing the two blurry figures that had stopped in front of him. Why were they not helping him? Why did they slam their windows shut?_

"_Uchiha Itachi."_

_He glanced up at the owner of the voice, at one of the masked men. They knew him. They knew his name._

"_Why?" he asked shakily._

"_A shinobi must always remain alert and prepared, regardless of the time and place," the masked man said tonelessly. _

_The other man knelt down before him. "A shinobi must also remain independent of others. Remember this lesson well."_

_Itachi stared at them wordlessly as they disappeared as abruptly as they appeared. Although his entire body burned with his wounds, he could only sit there, as still as a statue as those words sank in. Lesson? That was a lesson?_

_His vision swam further. He needed to go home but he had no energy to pick himself up. So he just sat there against the cold wall. _

_He just sat there numbly as the sun came up._

_He must have fallen asleep, because when he opened his eyes again, his mother was hovering over him. Her face was twisted in horror as her hand flew to her mouth. _

"_Itachi! What happened to you?" she choked out in anguish, landing on her knees beside him._

_Pain clouded his mind, but Itachi wondered how she would react if he called out for her aid. Would she ignore him the way the rest had done last night? He was not certain if he could face that reaction from her._

_So, wordlessly, he averted his eyes and stood up without her aid._

_He would learn the lesson well._

Itachi grimaced at the recollection.

The entire encounter had been the first to influence his view on the Uchiha clan. Although it had not been obvious then, Itachi now knew that the events that night had not really occurred. Considering that red flash he had seen, the whole thing could be simply a Sharingan-induced genjutsu. Still, the lesson had served its purpose. Without it, he would be as weak as the rest of the Uchiha clan. Without, he would not have gained the power he had this day.

A hand waved before his eyes, breaking his train of thought.

"Itachi-san."

"Hm."

She peered at him curiously as she threw her empty skewer into the fire. "You spaced out again. What are you thinking?"

He did not deem it necessary to respond. And she should know better than to ask, even though he knew that such a thing was too much to expect from her.

"You're as curious as a child," he remarked blandly.

She instantly stiffened. Then her eyes flashed in annoyance. "Do not compare me to a child, Itachi-san," she said in a clipped tone.

"Then you should refrain from such curiosity," he retorted smoothly.

"I happen to think that curiosity is a good thing," she defended immediately. "It's how one seeks to gain knowledge, to learn more and to improve."

His brow rose slightly at her words. Her viewpoint was strangely naïve, and in some ways, too soft for a missing-nin, even though her strength was anything but soft. However, the odd mix was something which defined her as a person, like how his hunger for excellence defined him. Even from the beginning of her introduction into the Akatsuki, she had done many things to illustrate her conflicting traits. He recalled how she had wept over the demise of her ex-comrades, and yet, steadfastly refusing to admit that emotions were weak. And then there had been the incident where she had healed Deidara despite the knowledge that she would weaken herself before the initiation, and later found the strength to complete the process regardless.

"Knowledge itself is insufficient to give one strength," he pointed out levelly.

"But it is a start," she rebutted, her gleaming eyes challenging him to refute her claim. "With knowledge, one can assess their situation better, and then improve as necessary. Eventually, it will lead to increased growth and strength."

"Too slow."

She frowned. "Slow?" A thoughtful pause followed, and then she tilted her head to one side. "Then how should one seek to improve, Itachi-san? What does it take?"

"The desire to overpower."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I should have known. You massacred your entire clan after all." Her tone was dry.

He smirked slightly, not denying it even though it was not entirely true. It was not necessary to elaborate further, as it was not something for her to be concerned about. His business remained his business.

"So, why did you do it?" she asked, leaning forward towards him, her inquisitiveness clearly displayed across her features.

"How does this information concern you?"

Her lips quirked. "Curiosity? Thirst for knowledge? Desire to empower myself with this little bit of information?"

Itachi felt the most uncharacteristic urge to laugh, but he refrained from doing so. "I fail to see how this information would assist in your development."

Her lips stretched into a grin. "Well, one needs to know as much possible about one's opponent, don't you agree, Itachi-san?"

"You consider me an opponent?"

She crossed her arms over he chest, her chin tilting up. "Of course. We're going to spar again, aren't we? I'm going to show you that my eye jutsu is good enough to keep up with your Sharingan."

Her optimism was most astounding, Itachi mused. Not to mention she was amusing in her naiveté. Although she would probably offer him a satisfying challenge, she would never defeat him. He would not allow such a thing to occur.

"Impossible," he declared flatly.

Shaking her head in disagreement, she pointed out, "It's not impossible. All I need is more practice, remember?"

"It may improve your reflexes, but only another Sharingan stand a chance of defeating mine," he explained levelly.

Raising a brow, she said, "Well, we shall see. When I'm done practicing, we'll have another fight and I'll prove you wrong."

"You are too confident," he declared smoothly.

"And you are too condescending."

"Hm."

"And reticent," she added firmly.

"Hm."

She shrugged. "But I guess you won't be Uchiha Itachi if you're any different."

"Aa."

A brief pause followed before she remarked dryly, "I take it that your monosyllabic responses means that you're done talking?"

He simply cast her a small smirk, drawing a huff of exasperation from her.

"Fine, then." She stood up abruptly. "I'm going to the river to try to clean up a little."

With that, she began to walk away from him.

Silently, he watched as she headed in the direction of the river. Their conversation had amused him, whiling away their time as they rested. He was somewhat surprised that it had lasted as long as it did. It was certainly unexpected, for he rarely allowed himself to be drawn into such conversation. In the past, Kisame had tended to remain silent unless they had to discuss some mission-related subject. Never before had Itachi indulged in the sort of discussion he just had with the kunoichi.

Yes, things had certainly changed since the kunoichi joined the Akatsuki. The change was subtle, but it was definitely there.

* * *

It had taken them a total of two days to travel from the resort in Snow Country to Waterfall Country. The journey was pleasant enough, although they had not spoken much since that first night. Sakura got the impression that Itachi did not speak unless it was necessary, and when he did, it was always with that quiet, polite tone. Like Sasuke. She finally figured that the silence thing must be an Uchiha trademark. 

And of course she was eternally thankful that he had not brought up the incident in the hotsprings, nor the incident where she had walked in on him after his bath. In fact, he had done nothing in the last two days to indicate that he remembered those incidents. Inner Sakura, however, was not content to let it remain that way. On more than one occasion, Sakura had found herself eyeing the Uchiha as Inner Sakura expounded upon his so-called qualities, which was really annoying because that was definitely not the way she wanted to see the shinobi who had murdered his entire clan.

Besides, Inner Sakura was wrong most of the time. She _had_ to be!

Letting out a huff, Sakura forced herself to stop thinking about it. She had more important things to deal with at the moment. Namely her Akatsuki mission, which had landed her in one of the worst spots she could remember. With that thought, she glowered at whatever she could see of her dark surroundings.

As suggested by its name, Waterfall Country was generously graced by numerous waterfalls that lined its mountainous landscape. Under normal circumstances, Sakura would have loved to be surrounded by the beautiful scenery, bathing in the crystal clear water and generally relax. That, however, was not the case right at this moment.

Yes, the water was crystal clear and the spray from the waterfall was invigorating.

Yes, the way the sun filtered down between the trees made the secluded area in the forest look almost surreal.

Yes, the bird's chirping mixed with the thundering waterfall could be described as music to one's ears.

She was also cold, wet and utterly irritated.

Sakura gritted her teeth as she pushed more chakra to her palms and feet to make sure that she was securely attached to the slippery rock face. As far as she could see, there was no good reason for the Akatsuki to hide their funds in some dark, tiny cave behind a waterfall, accessible only via a vertical shaft. It was also beyond her comprehension how Kisame and Itachi had managed to get the money there in the first place. Surely with his size, Kisame would have gotten stuck at some point. She was so irritated that even the mental image of Kisame struggling desperately to dislodge himself was not enough to cheer her up.

Flicking her wet hair out of her face, Sakura grumbled, "Isn't there a better place to hide the money? Why must you hide it in a cave that's only accessible by a vertical shaft?"

"It serves its purpose well." Itachi's voice came up from somewhere lower in the tunnel.

"How long more?"

"Until you reach a ledge."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura continued to squeeze up the slippery rock shaft, careful to prevent herself from sliding down. She could not really see where she was going, but she supposed she should just continue until she found that ledge. Stifling the urge to curse, she reached up to blindly feel for another handhold. They must have climbed at least ten-storeys up. She did not even want to think of what might happen if she fell.

The things she did for Konoha.

"That money had better be there," she muttered.

"It will be."

"Yeah, no one is going to steal it, that's for sure. Because no one is mad enough to do what we're doing. Not to mention-" she broke off abruptly when the rock under her left hand came loose.

As fragments of rock tumbled down the shaft, she scrambled to find another hand-hold, fighting to keep herself calm. Then a startled squeak escaped her when the rock under the other hand dislodged, and this time, her eyes widened in panic.

Vaguely registering the sound of a thud followed by a hiss of displeasure from somewhere beneath her, she frantically slapped her hands further up to find something else to grip. It did not help that she could not see a thing in the darkness.

Unfortunately, luck was not on her side. Misbalancing, she shrieked in alarm as she tumbled downwards. Her immediate thought was that she would probably end up spending _days_ healing her broken bones. She was not going to complete this mission on time. And Pein would promptly kill her for the failure. Or make Itachi do it.

Then she hit something firm and unyielding.

Her breath was immediately knocked out of her. A grunt sounded from her landing pad, and to her consternation, Sakura realized that she had managed to land on Itachi. Her legs were tangled with his and she could feel soft strands of hair brushing her cheek.

Mortified, she immediately tried to scramble off him to find something to hold on to.

"Do not move," he instructed tersely.

Sakura froze.

It was then that she felt his warm breath against the side of her neck. Goosebumps exploded over her skin at the sensation and she gulped. They were pressed way too close for her comfort. The hard warmth against the front of her body could only be his chest because she could feel his steady heartbeat between their layers of clothes.

Inner Sakura swooned and nearly melted into a puddle of mindless mess. Irritated by the reaction, Sakura glowered vindictively at her, hoping that she would disappear for good once and for all. The growing frequency of Inner Sakura's appearance was annoying, not to mention distracting. And for some reason, she was ridiculously hormone-driven when it came to a certain Uchiha. Sakura just could not understand why her inner self had chosen these few weeks to resurface after so many years of dormancy.

"You are certainly clumsy." His voice was dry.

Her eyes narrowed at the insult. "It was an accident, alright?!" she retorted irritably.

"Hm."

Feeling acutely uncomfortable, she began to fidget. "What now?" she asked as she tried to shift her upper body further away from him.

"Do not move," he bit out in an uncharacteristically edgy voice.

"What-" Then her eyes widened in realization. If their chests were pressed together and their legs were tangled, it meant that she was sitting on his… um… She swallowed hard as heat traveled to her cheeks. This was beyond embarrassing.

"Oh..."

"Hm."

Sakura tried to hold her breath. Anything to stop herself from shifting even slightly. Being a medic, she knew fully well how the male anatomy reacted to certain… stimulations, and she fervently hoped that she was keeping still enough that the particular part of Itachi's anatomy would not react in _that_ way.

'He feels nice…" Inner Sakura suddenly said dreamily. 'And he smells so delicious…'

Sakura closed her eyes in frustration. No, not now. She tried to force away the presence of her inner self, but to her annoyance, Inner Sakura was determined to say her piece.

Another heartfelt sigh left Inner Sakura. 'He's affected too, you know. See how tense he is? I wonder what he's thinking. Maybe he's thinking of what he saw in the hotsprings, hmm? He was definitely looking then.'

Eyes snapping open, Sakura hissed, "Shut up!"

"I did not say anything, Sakura-san."

Sakura blanched in mortification. Then she let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Oh, I was thinking about something." Lame, Sakura. Lame.

"Hm."

If she was not careful, Itachi would begin to think that she was crazy. Hell, she felt as if she was going crazy with Inner Sakura's demented ramblings. Yes, demented. Because nothing else could explain the direction of her alter-ego's thoughts. Inner Sakura seemed to have forgotten that Itachi was an Akatsuki, an enemy.

A moment of silence passed before she heard Itachi's voice. "I am going to shift. When I do, reach to your left and pull yourself up from there."

She nodded, even though he could not see her. Just be thankful that he was not dropping her, she told herself. He could have gotten it into his head that she was a nuisance and simply let her tumble to her death. But then again, maybe he was just being cautious. After all, who was to say that she would not drag him down the shaft along with her?

Then he moved. Sakura had to stifle a gasp when he dipped slightly to the left. Stretching her hands out, she grasped a protruding rock and immediately directed her chakra to hold herself in place. Now all she had to do was to move her legs off Itachi. That should not be too hard, right?

She just had to do it without accidentally kicking him.

Holding her breath, she directed more chakra to her hands and feet and tightened her grip on the rock before she curled her legs away from him. Her arms ached from the awkward position, but she continued to pull herself up.

Then her hand slipped.

Gasping, her eyes widening in alarm, Sakura jerked her body up to keep from falling. Her chakra-filled foot connected with Itachi, drawing a loud hiss from him. She winced, knowing that such a hit must hurt. But she finally managed to stabilize herself against the face of the rock.

"Sorry," she muttered, now safely clinging to the rock shaft instead of Itachi. "I'll heal you when we both get to the cave."

An annoyed grunt was the only response she received from him, but she was frazzled enough not to care at that moment. So what if he was annoyed? There was no way he was more unsettled as she was.

Soon, she was once again pulling herself up the shaft, more carefully this time. She was not going to risk falling on Itachi again, even if it meant climbing up at a snail's pace.

Not long afterwards, Sakura found the ledge. Releasing a breath of relief, she hauled herself up and stood upright. It was brighter there, and she could see the mouth of the cave illuminated by shafts of sunlight filtering in through the cracks in the rock wall. Deciding that she should heal Itachi now that she could actually see, Sakura turned around.

The Uchiha had just straightened from the ledge, his crimson orbs scanning the area assessingly. Sakura eyed his body, wondering where exactly had her foot landed earlier. It was hard to tell with that billowy Akatsuki cloak.

Taking a few steps to close the distance between them, she offered, "Let me heal you."

"It's not necessary." His tone was clipped.

Sakura blinked at his tone. Itachi was normally so impassive that it felt odd hearing how annoyed he was. He must be more hurt than he cared to let on. Plastering a firm look on her face, she insisted, "You just took a hit from me, and believe me, I know that some healing is necessary. Where did it hit? Let me see it."

He held her gaze. To her surprise, a hint of red tinted the area high on his cheeks. Was Itachi actually… blushing? Or maybe he was just angry with the reminder of what had happened earlier when she had landed on him. Unable to hold his gaze any longer, particularly when her mind began to supply her with what he felt like against her, Sakura averted her eyes.

"Um… Itachi-san? Just let me see to it, then we can carry on, alright?"

His voice was smooth, but there was no mistaking the mocking tone in it. "I doubt you're fully aware of what you're asking for."

Surprise made her spin around to face him. What could he mean? "I'm a medic, alright, so I think I know what I'm asking."

He raised a brow at her. "You hit me in a rather… sensitive region."

Her mouth parted as her eyes rounded in comprehension. Did she really hit him in his groin? The whole thought of it made her groan, especially when she realized that she had asked to see it. How much more embarrassing could this day get?

"Do you still wish to… heal me?" he asked in a quietly mocking tone.

Sakura clapped a hand to her forehead, mortified by her own blunder. But if he was really hurt, she would have to heal him, no matter where the injury was. It was her fault in the first place anyway.

Taking a deep breath, she ventured uncomfortably, "Um… Is it…uh… okay? Does it hurt?"

"I doubt my ability to function is compromised," he replied dryly.

She winced. "Ah… That's good… I think," she mumbled.

"Hm."

She could not believe the direction of this conversation. And Itachi was no doubt finding the whole thing unpleasant as well. Knowing that someone had to break the awkwardness, Sakura turned away from him to walk towards the cave.

"So, the money is hidden inside this cave?" she asked evenly.

"Aa."

"Well, let's go then."

As they began to walk deeper into the cave, Sakura mentally shook herself, trying to keep focused. The whole thing was just a stupid accident, nothing more. But she could not shake the feeling that something had changed just slightly. Some sixth sense told her that things would just get worse because of this change.

Stiffening her spine, Sakura inhaled deeply as she reminded herself of the reason she was in the Akatsuki. As natural as it felt to just fall into the routine, she must not let herself be overly involved. For her own sake, she must begin to distance herself without raising suspicion.

* * *

The retrieval of the funds from Waterfall Country had been completed without any further incidences, allowing them to head back to their temporary base to leave the package before moving on to Wind Country. 

Aside from the minimal communication necessary for their travel, the kunoichi had said nothing to him. Therefore, one-day journey from Waterfall Country to Bird Country had been made mostly in silence, a far cry from their previous journey.

They were approaching the base now and the tension emanating from the kunoichi was still reaching him in waves. Usually, such things did not bother him, as he tended to instill such reactions in those around him, whether they were acquaintances or strangers. However, understanding the reason behind the awkwardness ensured that he was just as unsettled. Ever since the incident in the shaft, his_awareness_ of her had increased, and from what he could tell from her behavior, she was in the same state.

Truly, she could not have fallen on him at a worst time. He had been climbing steadily up the shaft when he happened to glance upwards. Without the Sharingan, he would not have seen anything in the darkness, let alone how her rounded rear had flexed with each move she made as she climbed above him. It had been rather indecent of him to watch, but it was more foolish to climb upwards without looking up.

His situation had turned from bad to worse when she had fallen on him. The shock had almost caused him to release his chakra-infused hold on the sides of the shaft, but fortunately, he had regained his composure before it happened. Until he had comprehended just _where_ she was sitting on. It was obvious that she had no inkling of what she was doing to him each time she attempted to move.

Fortunately, his body's wayward responses had been very effectively curbed when her foot connected with his groin. The pain had blinded him momentarily, but it succeeded in redirecting his mind away from inappropriate matters. Up till then, he had been rather concerned that he might be tempted to act upon the urges of his body.

The mere memory of it was unsettling, and Itachi shook himself mentally to dispel that particular line of thought.

Besides, they were already at the entrance Pein's new base, and it would not do for the rest to detect the awkwardness between him and Sakura. It would pose a problem if Sakura remained as tense as she was when they met with their leader. Pein was perceptive enough to know that something had happened, and Itachi certainly did not wish to explain anything.

Stopping just on the outskirts of the compound that housed the new base, Itachi turned to the kunoichi.

"Sakura-san."

"What?" she asked, stopping beside him.

He took note of the slightly heightened color gracing her cheeks as her eyes shifted away from his. His lips immediately thinned in disapproval. "Calm yourself."

She stiffened abruptly. "I don't know what you mean." Her voice was tight.

Tamping down a spark of annoyance, he said flatly, "Do not lie. Any competent shinobi could sense your discomfort."

Her eyes flashed briefly, and then she averted her eyes. "Fine," she muttered grudgingly.

"Hm."

She took a step away from him, and then paused. When she turned around again, he was surprised to find her smirking. It was a complete turnabout from her previous demeanor that he was momentarily stunned by the change.

"Don't worry, Itachi-san. I won't tell anyone that you can actually blush."

Itachi tensed. "I do not blush," he declared stonily.

Her smirk widened before she turned away to continue into the compound.

Irked by her words, Itachi glared at her retreating back for a moment before he finally joined her. It was more than obvious that she had recovered from the awkwardness.

A short walk and a number of identification jutsu later, Itachi found himself standing in front of Pein's desk in a sparsely decorated study. It was clear that this base was meant to be temporary until Pein found somewhere else more suitable. Konan was there as well, staring absently out of the window as their leader stood up.

"You have what we need?" Pein asked.

"This is everything from Waterfall," Sakura said as she placed the bag on the desk.

Pein nodded, drawing the bag towards him. "Both of you have done well." Their leader stepped away from the desk to move towards the window next to Konan. Staring out, he continued, "We need to catch up. Deidara and Tobi are already here as well."

Itachi raised a brow. "We are short of time."

"This will be a quick meeting," Konan remarked.

"What is this about?" the kunoichi asked curiously.

Before Pein could reply, the shimmering forms of Kisame appeared before them. And a while later, Deidara and Tobi walked through the door.

"Now that all of us are here, we can begin," Pein announced. Lifting the bag full of money, Pein held it out to Tobi. "Itachi and Sakura got this from Waterfall Country. It should be enough to fund the operation in Tea Country."

Taking the bag, Tobi nodded. "I guess this is enough to pay them."

Deidara flicked his blonde fringe out of his eyes. "We've negotiated with the spies, yeah. And they've agreed to do what we asked. The first wave of rogue shinobi will be attacking in a week or so."

"Good," Pein approved before sweeping his eyes over the rest of them. "Kisame located hachibi in River Country and will continue to track his movement until the rest of you get there," Pein explained.

"I'll send a message if he leaves that country," Kisame added.

"So all five of us are going, yeah?" Deidara asked.

Konan nodded. "The jinchuuriki is not traveling alone, so it's not going to be easy."

"Who are they?" Itachi asked.

"Looks like jounin-level missing-nins," Kisame remarked thoughtfully. "I couldn't get close enough to tell."

"Are we going to make it in time?" Sakura asked with a small frown.

"You have four days before you have to regroup at River Country," Pein told them. "Bring the hachibi jinchuuriki to the border between Rain and River. Konan will prepare the site for the extraction."

"Sounds like it's going to get busy," Kisame remarked with a wide grin.

Deidara smirked. "We had better get going then, yeah."

* * *

The journey from Bird Country to Wind Country had taken them only a day, and another half day had been taken up by their trek across some sandy mountains to reach the place where Itachi and Kisame had hidden the next stash of money. Finding the money had been less traumatizing than the experience in Waterfall, and Sakura was glad for that. 

As she trudged across the hot desert sand, Sakura chewed her bottom lip, her brows furrowed in concentration and worry. Ever since their impromptu meeting with Pein, her mind had only been filled with one thing.

Now that they knew where the extraction was going to take place, she had to get this information to Tsunade. It would take them another two days to make their way back to the rendezvous point in River Country, which did not give her much time to send a message out before she had to capture the hachibi. Glancing sideways at Itachi, she wondered how on earth she could escape him long enough to find a safe place to contact Tsunade, considering that they had been practically stuck at the hips for the last few days.

She fought the urge to groan out loud. This was bad. What was the point of being in Akatsuki if she could not even warn Tsunade about something like this?

"Stop."

Sakura froze at Itachi's voice. A quick sideway glance told her that his attention was fixed to something in the distance, and from the expression on his face, it was not something good.

Quickly, she touched her fingertips to her eyes, performing her eye jutsu. When she turned to see what he was looking at, her eyes immediately widened at the sight of the approaching Sand ANBU squads. There were eight of them. And knowing what Gaara's training regime was like, she knew that this was not going to be an easy battle. ANBU squads did not carry out regular patrols, therefore they must be there for some specific task. Did Tsunade warn Gaara to increase Suna's defenses?

"This is not good," Sakura remarked apprehensively. "There are too many of them."

"Aa."

* * *

A/N: I hope you were entertained by the chapter. The Ita-Saku interactions will continue the next chapter, in which the bijuu extraction plot will be progressed. As always, I greatly appreciate your reviews, so please drop me a few words. Thanks! 

:elle6778:


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: As always, thank you very much for all the reviews! Big shout out to: Illidan the Half Demon, ArjunaAnja, sandwich-chan, les-liaisons-dangereuses, jjayno1, AkatsukiSakura73, Kinkatia, Jester08, aznkitty180, dumdeedum, Dark Darianna Minamino, TeenageCrisis, Fei4, S.T. Nickolian, Reimei Hoshi, Coeur, Ita-ta, lara, sympatheticassassin, supersillee06, Blueberry Babe, anumeismyname, crystal teardrops, greenteamoose, Hao's Anjul, Luka1Sakura, GoddessOfFlash, midnight000shadow, Faye, Lraine, sadbird, Leila411, Incognito Temptation and troublesomefemale.

If you're interested, the poll results for pairing with Sakura is as follows - the numbers in the brackets are percentages: Itachi (31), Kakashi (17), Neji (9), Sasuke (9), Gaara (8), Shikamaru (6), Deidara (5), Naruto (4), Kiba (3), Sai (2) and Chouji (1). So I guess I'll be writing more Itachi-Sakura and Kakashi-Sakura then, hehe!

Here's the next chapter. Hope you'll like it!

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 11**

Itachi kept his expression impassive as he scanned the eight Suna ANBUs approaching them. His own experience in ANBU was enough to tell him that the skill levels of his opponent must not be underestimated, let alone eight of them.

He snuck a sideway glance at his partner, noting that her attention was firmly fixed on their opponents as her hand slowly inched back to her pouch. A second later, she was gripping a kunai in each hand, just as the ANBU reached them.

"You have some nerve, entering Wind Country after what the Akatsuki had done to our Kazekage," one of the Suna ANBU bit out harshly through his mask.

"You're coming back with us," another one declared coldly, taking a step forward. This time it was a kunoichi. "I'm sure the Kazekage would like to ask you some questions. If you're still alive, that is."

"We are pressed for time," Itachi replied smoothly. "So we must decline."

"Don't mock us!" one of them hissed back at him. "Just in case you haven't noticed, there are eight of us here."

Itachi raised his hand, stilling Sakura when it looked like she was going to respond. "It is pointless to speak to them further. We have to fight."

"That's right, you piece of Akatsuki shit!"

"Ready?" Itachi murmured, ignoring the ANBU.

A flash of hesitation crossed Sakura's features, and then it was swiftly replaced by resolve. Her fingers came up to her eyes, and when her hands dropped, Itachi saw the bright glow of chakra swirling within her enhanced eyes.

"You take the four on the right. I'll take the rest," she announced.

"Hm."

With that, they streaked away from each other.

Itachi braced himself as a squad of four made a beeline towards him. His lips curled slightly in contempt. They were attacking him head on? How foolish.

It was time to test their potential.

In a flash, he created four clones and substituted himself with a nearby rock. Without pause, each of the Sand ANBU instantly engaged the clones in battle. His clone performed a fire jutsu, and the ANBU countered using a water jutsu. Unperturbed, another clone released a lightning jutsu. The Suna ANBU retaliated with wind jutsu, this time working in pairs.

When one of Itachi's clones released a water jutsu, the targeted pair of ANBU retreated swiftly, leaving a single kunoichi to come forth. The kunoichi lifted her hands together in an unfamiliar seal. A second later, the ground began to rumble and shake. In a blink of an eye, a wall of sand shot up in the air between the ANBU and Itachi's water jutsu.

Sand and water met with a thundering bang, spraying droplets in the air before the sand wall curved in to consume his clone.

Interesting, Itachi mused as his clone disintegrated into a flock of crows. This particular ANBU possessed a high level skill which allowed her to manipulate sand, much like the Shukaku's vessel. Deciding to push her further, Itachi directed his clone to release a stronger water jutsu.

As the Suna kunoichi prepared to defend her squad from the attack, Itachi glanced sideways to see Sakura preparing to launch a wind jutsu. The moment she completed her seals, spikes of high-speed wind shot straight out at the ANBU squad facing her. One of them was flung into the distance while the other three managed to disappear into the ground before her attack connected with them. They soon reappeared again, engaging Sakura in a furious battle. Another sand user, a weaker one, approached her, bringing particles sand which swirled faster and faster by the second, but the kunoichi only grimaced before launching another wind attack, pushing the particles back.

Then the pink-haired kunoichi reached into her pouch to pull something out. Itachi watched with a small smirk as she performed a familiar jutsu. A moment later, three other identical forms surrounded her. Itachi had seen this jutsu enough to know that these were not simple clones. They would continue to fight until the imbued chakra ran out.

Turning back to his own battle, Itachi watched his clones deflect another combination attack from two of the ANBUs. While Itachi continued to remain hidden, intently assessing his opponents' strengths and weaknesses, his three remaining clones continued to attack using a wide range of techniques.

Individually, they were not impressive, apart from the kunoichi with the high level sand manipulation skills. The rest of them only seemed to do well when executing combination attacks, Itachi noted. Therefore, all he had to do was to take out the most powerful of them all, the kunoichi, and then ensure that the rest were unable to execute any combination attacks.

With that thought, Itachi dismissed all but one of his clones and immediately took advantage of the four ANBU's momentary disorientation. Forming a rapid series of seals, his clone released the most powerful water jutsu he could summon. The strength did not matter actually, for the jutsu was only meant to be a distraction while his true self performed a genjutsu.

As expected, the one with the bloodline limit instantly focused on the water attack, positioning herself between the earth attack and the rest of her comrades. Two others froze on the spot, caught in his genjutsu, while the last ANBU was sharp enough to turn away to avoid being caught in the illusion. This particular shinobi immediately went to his two comrades, obviously intent on dispelling the genjutsu.

Satisfied that the last three would not be in the position to interfere, Itachi turned his attention back to the female ANBU, who had just managed to dispel his water attack again. Spinning towards him, the ANBU streaked forward, forcing Itachi to sidestep. A clanging sound rang through the air as their kunai clashed violently. Without pause, Itachi dropped to the ground and swept his legs out in a kick, but he was unsurprised when the brown-haired kunoichi succeeded in avoiding it. This shinobi was not to be underestimated.

Then his senses prickled a warning. Itachi sprung into the air just as a bright light flared up under him. A quick glance downwards told him that he had narrowly escaped a lightning bolt. His eyes narrowed at the realization that his enemy was also proficient at lightning jutsu.

Perhaps he needed to rethink his strategy.

The ANBU wasted no time in performing another series of seals, once again of a lightning nature. Clenching three shurikens between his fingers, Itachi spun high in the air. Intent on interrupting the lightning jutsu, he swiftly released his weapons towards the kunoichi. Concentration broken, she darted to the side, deflecting the shurikens with her kunai.

Dropping to his feet, Itachi noted that the persistent kunoichi was once again readying a lightning attack. Wind, which was the natural element to counter lightning, was by no means his strongest elemental jutsu. Sakura was possibly better equipped to handle this particular opponent, Itachi decided with slight irritation. Nevertheless, he was powerful and resourceful enough to ensure that this ANBU would regret crossing him.

With that thought, Itachi quickly flicked over a series of seals for a wind jutsu he had copied from Pein.

"Fuuton: Reppushou!"

A gust of wind shot out towards the brown-haired kunoichi at the exact moment that bolts of lightning shot towards Itachi. The two attacks collided, and a fraction of a second later, the clashing energies exploded outwards, forcing Itachi to take a step back.

His Sharingan was able to tell that the enemy kunoichi was now almost out of chakra, much to his pleasure.

Regrettably, he did not expect her to utilize the last of her chakra so soon in the form of yet another lightning jutsu. Before Itachi could fully avoid it, the lightning bolt grazed his left arm, drawing a pained hiss from him. Irked by the slight wound, Itachi did not pause before he performed the necessary seals for an advanced fire jutsu. Now that she was out of chakra, he could make his move.

Slamming his palm to the ground, Itachi called out, "Katon: Hinokami-no-jutsu!"

Balls of flaming red molten rocks shot straight up from the ground, each explosion getting closer and closer to the kunoichi who was attempting to jump out of harm's way, her jerky movements betraying her growing anxiety.

Then to Itachi's satisfaction, one of the molten rocks finally connected with its target, eliciting a cry of pain from the shinobi. Itachi glanced sharply at a book which fell from her as the kunoichi crashed against a tree, the force cracking its trunk. The ANBU was not dead yet, just incapacitated.

But Itachi knew that right then, he needed to deal with the others.

With that thought, he spun around to see that the other three ANBU were now free from his genjutsu, much as he had expected.

Substituting himself with a rock to avoid their attack, Itachi grimaced as he reappeared near Sakura. This battle was drawing out longer than acceptable, and he wished to end it soon. But there were too many of them for him to attempt a Tsukuyomi. The only appropriate choice for this situation was not something he wished to execute either, but it appeared that he had no choice.

Itachi felt the kunoichi's familiar presence behind him just before the warmth of her back pressed against his. Glancing around, he found that the remaining six ANBUs had formed a circle around them, while Sakura's clones were nowhere to be seen.

Studying their positions, Itachi frowned in displeasure at the realization that he could not execute his jutsu efficiently while his opponents were spread out like this.

"Break the circle," Itachi instructed calmly.

"Easier said than done," she muttered irritably.

His tone was harder when he said, "Break it and return to my side."

"Fine, I'll do it. Hang on!"

With that, she raised a glowing fist and brought it down to the ground. Cracks began to spread outwards from her fist, and a thundering sound erupted when the ground exploded under the Sand ANBUs, scattering them. Then she launched straight at them, forming seals as she did so.

Satisfied that she knew what she was doing, Itachi executed an advanced fire jutsu, forcing his three opponents to join the rest. The two previously injured ANBU were laying unconscious some distance away, but Itachi decided that taking down six of them was more than adequate.

"Now what?" the kunoichi asked behind him.

Not knowing what effect it would have on her chakra-enhanced eyes, Itachi ordered, "Stand back and close your eyes."

"What?" She sounded incredulous.

"Now."

With a frown, her eyes snapped shut.

His three tomoe began to spin, shifting to its Mangekyou form. Raising his hands, Itachi formed the necessary seals to execute the jutsu, his chakra surging upwards towards his eyes and lungs as he concentrated. The pressure behind his eyes intensified, and a dull throbbing pain slowly but surely began.

"Amaterasu," he mouthed.

In a burst of energy, he opened his mouth and released the attack. Fuelled by the power of the Mangekyou, the black fire sped out from his lungs, heading straight for the six shocked ANBU. Ignoring the soreness of his eyes, Itachi smirked in disdain as the desperate ANBUs began to release one after another water jutsu to counter the Amaterasu. Those foolish shinobi did not know that this was one fire jutsu which could not be countered in such a manner.

Then screams erupted into the air as the black fire engulfed their bodies. The victims began to writhe piteously, and Itachi knew that soon, they would move no more. Even now, the black flames ate their flesh, turning it into nothing but dust.

A gasp sounded beside him, and Itachi glanced out of the corner of his eyes to find the kunoichi staring at the result of his Amaterasu. Her eyes were fixed to the burning flames, her expression a mix of shock mingled with a hint of horror. She was still soft, he thought with no small amount of displeasure. Did she expect him to allow them to live?

"Is something the matter?" he asked silkily, injecting a hint of challenge in his tone.

She snapped towards him, her rounded green eyes flickering. Then she lifted her chin. "Nothing."

"Hm."

Knowing that they should not linger, Itachi stepped away. His eyes were drawn to the book which had fallen from one of the ANBUs. To his annoyance, his gradually blurring vision prevented him from identifying what it was, so he bent down to pick it up. Bringing it close to his face, Itachi finally recognized it as a Bingo book.

Pocketing it, he intoned, "Let's go."

Without waiting for her to reply, he burst into a run. It would be wise to get as far as they could away from the ANBU. The other two who had been knocked unconscious were lucky enough to survive and would no doubt report back to Suna as soon as they were able. Then Suna would inevitably send reinforcements, even though it was too late to save the other six.

As they ran across the desert, the sun began to set, casting an eerie glow over the entire landscape. The kunoichi was silent, and idly, Itachi wondered what she was thinking. The scent of blood reached him then, and Itachi glanced sharply to the side. Even through his deteriorated eyesight, he could see the dampness of her Akatsuki cloak.

"You're injured," he noted blandly.

Without glancing at him, she nodded. "Just a slight cut."

His eyes narrowed at her respond. A slight cut would not result in so much blood, but it appeared that the kunoichi was too proud to admit it out loud. Then, deciding that she was quite capable of handling her own injuries, he turned back to the front.

Itachi grimaced as another sharp sting shot through his eyes. A painful as it was, he had no choice but to keep his Sharingan activated. It was a good thing he did so, otherwise he would have missed the sight of the oasis bounded by desert rocks in the distance.

Inclining his head in that direction, he said, "We will stop there for the night."

She stilled momentarily as a spark of green chakra traveled across her eyes. "I see it. There's something that looks like a cave nearby."

"Hm."

Without a pause, Itachi continued to head towards their destination, despising the fact that he could not see clearly. The decline of his eyesight was an increasing concern even though it would not be long before he fixed the condition. But considering the state they were in, perhaps he should bring one of his plans forward.

Vaguely, he wondered if Pein knew that he had quietly learned the secret jutsu. It was unlikely, Itachi surmised. After all, all the evidences had been taken care of.

As he neared their destination, his attention was drawn to the sight of the hidden cave amongst the protruding desert rocks. Suppressing any signs that betrayed his relief at finding the shelter, Itachi stepped into the dark space and immediately checked for indications of any other living being. When he ascertained that they were secure, he sat down and leaned back against the cool inner wall of the cave. Only then did he deactivate his Sharingan, allowing his eyes to close. The relief was palpable.

A short while later, a subtle shuffling sound told him that the kunoichi was approaching.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

Keeping his eyes closed, he replied curtly, "Eyes."

"I thought I told you to tell me when it hurts," she chided tersely, but there was no mistaking the anxiety in her tones.

She was concerned for him, was she? The notion brought him an odd feeling, something which he could not quite place. After all, it had been a long time since he was subjected to such a thing. Perhaps he was mistaken, for it seemed ridiculous that she should be concerned about him. Or perhaps it was simply gratitude. Who knew what else the emotional kunoichi could be experiencing at that moment?

His eyes opened, and the blurry form of the kunoichi came into view.

* * *

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath when she found herself staring into a pair of onyx eyes. It was the first time she had seen Itachi without his Sharingan, and it unnerved her just how much those orbs reminded her of Sasuke. The shape of their eyes was different, but the slightly bemused expression in them was unmistakable. 

Bemused or not, the idiot was obviously in pain, from the way he was slumped against the cave wall. It must be from that crazy jutsu he had executed, the one that the Sannin Jiraiya had warned Tsunade about, that Amaterasu. The amount of chakra involved in that attack had astounded her. And she was sure that it was the reason behind his current state. The chakra pathways around his eyes were probably burnt badly.

She frowned inwardly. Although she was glad that he had succeeded in getting them out of what could be a very bloody situation, she was sickened by the deaths of those six shinobi. Sakura cringed at the memory of the black flames which had engulfed them and the tortured screams which followed. It was one of the most horrifying sights she had the misfortune to see, even though the extent of Itachi's cruelty should not surprise her. After all, he had massacred his entire clan. To him, something like burning those ANBU alive was probably minor.

For a moment, she considered letting him suffer. He deserved it after putting those ANBU through that much pain. What he was suffering did not even come close to what the black flames had inflicted on the Sand shinobi.

Torn by whether she should heal him or not, Sakura continued to stare at him. After a while, she realized that her subconscious would not let her ignore his pain. It must be the medic-nin in her, she thought darkly.

She let out an exasperated huff. "Itachi-san. The next time this happens, tell me. I could have healed this earlier."

"There was no time. It would be unwise to linger."

"Fine. But now, let me have a look at it now before it gets worse," she said in an uncompromising tone.

A weary smile crossed Itachi's lips as he lifted his hand.

Then to her astonishment, he _poked_ her in her forehead.

Stunned, she could only gape at him.

It took a while before she regained her composure and when she did, she reached up to rub her forehead gingerly. She could not believe that he, Uchiha Itachi, had POKED her in her forehead. And damn it, it was sore!

"What the hell was that for?" she demanded incredulously.

He simply studied her wordlessly. The corner of his lips still tilted in a weary smile, he closed his eyes again. Just when she thought that he had fallen asleep, his eyes opened into slits.

His voice was soft when he remarked, "You have a prominent forehead."

Sakura instantly stiffened and then her hands clenched into tight fists.

He did not just say that. Eyes narrowing, she pinned a glare at him. If he was not so weak from his eye injury, she would have smacked him for what he had just said. How dare he insult her forehead? The last person who had done so was Ino and that had been years ago.

"Itachi-san." Her voice was clipped. "I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from insulting me."

"It was simply an observation."

An observation?! She glared down at his half-hooded eyes. Unbidden, her eyes traveled over his lashes. She had noticed before, although she had not paid much attention to it. Those lashes were nothing short of sinfully beautiful. And then it occurred to her that it was grossly unfair for an S-class _male_ criminal to have such long, thick eyelashes.

Startled by her own thoughts, she froze. Did she just describe Itachi's lashes as beautiful?

A groan bubbled up within her. All the heat and sand must be getting to her. Why was she thinking such things about him? Inner Sakura was the one who normally come up with these inane ideas, not _HER_!She was more sensible than that.

Inner Sakura emerged smirking. 'Finally! It's about time you stop kidding yourself! What's so hard about admitting that Itachi is very attractive? Remember how sexy he was at the hotsprings? And how warm and hard he felt in the cave?'

Sakura glowered at her inner self. Fine, she was a woman and her senses could not help but to react to an attractive male. Yes, she had been rather flustered when she had seen him in nothing but a towel and then later in the hotsprings. And yes, ever since that time in the cave, she had been ridiculously aware of him. No one would really blame her, right? After all, Itachi was one hell of an attractive man.

Wait! Had she just admitted that she found Itachi _attractive_?

_Wha-? Huh? _

_NANIIII?!_

Inner Sakura beamed in smug satisfaction. Not only that, Inner Sakura apparently decided that it was an appropriate time to dance around in her head, just to rub it in.

Sakura could not believe it. Just what was wrong with Inner Sakura nowadays? She needed to get a grip. She COULD NOT find Itachi attractive. Itachi was a cruel, cold-hearted criminal. An enemy. Someone she would most probably end up having to kill. She could not have such thoughts about him no matter how good-looking he was.

"Sakura-san."

She jerked at his voice. "Huh?"

He was wearing that bemused expression again. Her eyes narrowed. What exactly did he find funny about the entire situation?

"I believe you were about to heal my eyes?" he prompted levelly.

Clamping her lips together, she nodded wordlessly. Still discomfited by her wayward thoughts, Sakura found it difficult to meet his gaze as she prepared to heal his eyes. The way he looked at her was as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. But it was not possible, right? The Sharingan did not allow one to read minds, only movements and chakra.

"Close your eyes," she instructed, thankful that her voice betrayed nothing of her discomfort.

He obeyed silently.

As she laid her palms over his eyes, his lashes brushed her skin and she had to bite her lips to focus. Just heal his eyes, Sakura, she chided herself. Attractive or not, Itachi was part of this crazy mission of hers and she had to keep a professional mind intact. This was no time to give in to the urges of a hormone-driven teenager, even though she_was_ a teenager.

She concentrated on healing his eyes for a while more until she was satisfied that it was fine. At least for a while. There was no way to heal it fully without extensive treatment. Such a thing was probably not a good idea, considering his status. He was already a great threat to Naruto as he was, let alone with fully-healed, perfect eyesight. To heal him would equate to betraying Konoha, and that was something she had no intention of doing.

Lifting her hands away from his eyes, she announced in a level voice, "It's done."

His lids lifted, and once again, she was greeted by a pair of dark eyes. For a moment, she could only stare, somewhat unnerved by how those eyes reminded her of Sasuke.

Then she blinked and his eyes were once again crimson.

"Thank you, Sakura-san," he said politely.

"How does it feel?" she asked, tracing a finger under one of his eyes to pull the bottom lid down. No redness surrounding the white, she noted as she peered closely.

"Better."

She pressed her thumb lightly on his eyelid. "Any more pain?"

"No."

"Blurriness or distortion?"

"Less."

She refrained from making a face. Was he only capable of one-word answers?

When his warm breath brushed against her lips, Sakura suddenly realized just how close her face was to his. An odd tingle instantly ran down her spine at the sensation. Of its own volition, her eyes landed on his lips. It looked so soft, so inviting. If she moved just an inch closer to him, their lips would touch.

Inner Sakura began to salivate in anticipation.

_What the hell!_

Dismayed by what she had almost done, she jerked away from him. He was watching her with half-hooded eyes, and to her consternation, there was a knowing look in those crimson orbs. Please, please tell her that he did not know what had just gone through her stupid, messed-up mind. She would not be able to live it down if he did. What was she thinking?!

Then he smirked.

Her embarrassment and discomfiture instantly evaporated at his smug expression.

The arrogant bastard.

So what if he knew? He was probably used to girls flinging themselves all over him. So there was nothing for her to be worried about, right?

With a huff, she averted her eyes and stood up abruptly, her injured leg almost buckling under her. Whatever it was that had happened just now, it was best all around if she distanced herself from him. Turning her attention outside, she noted that it was still bright.

"You should rest while I keep watch. I think it's best if we move out once it's dark outside. Are you okay with that?" And why did her voice sound so stiff and unnatural?

"Aa," was his only response.

A shuffling sound drew her attention back to him, and Sakura watched as he pulled his Akatsuki cloak closer around him before he closed his eyes. Hoping that he would fall asleep soon, Sakura walked to the mouth of the cave and sat down. She was still very much aware that she needed to send a message to Tsunade, but she could not do so until Itachi was fully asleep.

She sat on the ground, wrapping her hands around her knees as she waited.

One hour passed before she was convinced that he had fallen asleep. Stealthily, as to not wake him, Sakura crept out of the cave. She slowly walked further and further away from the cave. It did not matter where she went, she just needed to get far enough to avoid detection.

When she came across a shallow pond surrounded by some palm trees, she stopped. Expanding her senses, she noted with satisfaction that the area was secure. With swift movements, she performed the necessary seals to form the wind jutsu. Then she concentrated on the message.

"_Rescue operation required for two wounded ally members in Wind Country desert, and six were fatally injured. The eighth vessel is in River. Speed essential to intercept capture in two days. Good luck." _

Now that the message was sent, Sakura exhaled in relief. Hopefully Tsunade would get the message in time to make sure that the hachibi jinchuuriki remained safe by sending someone. In that case, it was likely that she would have to fight some of the Leaf shinobi, seeing that this jinchuuriki was hers to capture. But it could not be helped. All she had to do was to make the fight look as convincing as possible to the Akatsuki. That should not be too hard, seeing that the Akatsuki did not know the full extent of her skills. The last thing she wanted to do was to get more people killed.

She forced away the image of the six ANBU who had been engulfed in the black fire. Hopefully, the Kazekage would be informed soon enough so that he could rescue the two ANBU left alive. Still, she could not help but worry about the fact that those survivors could easily identify her. How many pink-haired missing-nin were from Konoha? Even if Gaara eventually found out about her actual mission, there was no guarantee that he would not retaliate.

An image of herself being suffocated by the Kazekage's sand instantly flashed across her mind, making her shudder.

Shaking away the morbid images, Sakura fixed her attention to the pool of water. Deciding to take advantage of it, she knelt down and began to wash the dust off herself. The water was lukewarm, but that was to be expected considering the heat in Wind Country.

Peeling her clothes off, she took note of her injuries. Most of them were minor, but there was a deep gash in her left thigh, courtesy of one of the ANBU. Biting her lips as she dribbled water over the wound, she could not help but wonder if she would have managed to get out alive without Itachi's Amaterasu.

Once clean and healed, she quickly made her way back to the cave, pausing only to restock her supply of bugs for her shapeshifting jutsu. She had used up her entire supply to hold off the Sand ANBU earlier. The fight had not been easy. But although she had been occupied with her own battles, one of the wind attacks Itachi had used had caught her attention. Idly, she wondered if he would be willing to teach her how to execute it.

When she stepped into the cave, she saw that Itachi was still asleep. For a moment, she just stood there staring at the figure leaning against the side of the cave. He looked so young, so relaxed. And so… pretty, with the tips of his bangs brushing his cheeks. It was somewhat hard to believe that this was a cold-hearted assassin. But then again, appearance could be deceiving. She should know that by now.

With an inward shrug, she settled down on the opposite side of the cave and tried to rest without falling asleep. Unfortunately, her weary body refused to cooperate and before she knew it, she had fallen into slumber.

* * *

Itachi opened his eyes, and immediately noticed that even without his Sharingan, his vision was a little sharper. However, he knew from the last time she had treated him that this effect was only temporary. After a week or so, his eyesight would become blurred again, forcing him to use the Sharingan all the time. 

He glanced to the other side of the cave to see that the kunoichi was still sleeping. So much for standing guard, he thought wryly. Still, it did not matter since he would have awakened if there was any movement nearby.

Like he had done last night when she left the cave. He had sensed her return only an hour after she had left. From what he could tell, she had gone to cleanse herself because through the narrow slits of his lids, he had seen the dampness of her clothes and her water-darkened hair.

Studying her features, he was reminded of what had _almost_ occurred yesterday. There was no mistaking the look in her eyes when she had bent over his face. Although he had been amused by the utter horror in her expression when she had realized what she was about to do, he was also somewhat… disconcerted when she had pulled back so abruptly.

Mulling over his reaction, Itachi finally decided that it was to be expected. Although aware that fraternization between comrades could only end badly, he was still a man. With the number of missions they had been assigned lately, there had not been any time for him or the rest to indulge in their usual… release. She was the only female he was in constant contact with for almost three months. Thus, his reaction to her yesterday was completely understandable.

As was with his reaction to her that day in Waterfall Country. To his consternation, his body warmed at the memory. Ever since their inappropriately close physical contact, he had been disturbingly_aware_ of her.

Shaking those thoughts away, he stood up and directed his gaze outside. He estimated that he had slept around four hours, since it was still dark. Deciding that it was safe to leave for a while, he followed the kunoichi's track to arrive at a shallow pond.

After a quick wash, he stood up and suddenly remembered the Bingo book he had retrieved yesterday. Pulling it out, he flicked through the pages, idly noting familiar faces, some crossed out, some not, including his own. Then his eyes fell on the picture of a pink-haired kunoichi. The picture was an old one, for she looked much younger in it.

He skimmed through her data, noting that she achieved the rank of Jounin just short of three years ago, and that her primary skills laid in medical jutsu. Her chakra-based taijutsu skills and her affinity towards wind and earth jutsu were nothing new to him, having seen her in battle ever since her fight with Kisame so long ago.

Then his eyes landed on the list at the bottom of the page. Haruno Sakura was wanted for the break-in and theft of Daimyou's property in Lightning Country, the kidnapping of the heir of some family, the destruction of the Aoki clan's stronghold, the infiltration of weapons facilities in Wave Country and the impersonation of the wife followed by the assassination of the head of Takashi clan. The list went on, but Itachi's attention diverted to the last line.

_No known affiliation._

He smirked inwardly as he closed the book. This Bingo book must be old, otherwise her name would come under the Akatsuki organization.

Pocketing the book, he made his way back to the cave. When he stepped in, he saw that Sakura was already awake.

"It is time to leave," he told her levelly.

Nodding sleepily, she stood up and followed him out. He watched as she raised a hand to put something in her mouth. Then their eyes met, and to his surprise, there was a slight hesitation in hers. When he raised a brow, she dipped into her pouch and extended her hand towards him.

"Here," she offered.

Itachi glanced down to find a familiar pill resting on her palm. She was offering him a soldier pill? His first instinct was to reject her offering. After all, no one could be trusted. The pill could be something else disguised as a soldier pill, even though her countenance suggested nothing of that nature.

"Take it," she said, sounding slightly uncomfortable. "You didn't eat anything since yesterday."

An odd feeling washed over him then, something he could not quite identify. Discomfited by the unfamiliarity, he quickly brushed it away before reaching out to take the pill. However, he did not eat it. Instead, he pocketed it.

"I'll take it later."

"Make sure you do."

"Hm."

With that, he began to walk away from their shelter. They had to leave Wind Country before they were ambushed again, thus risking the further deterioration of his eyesight.

Whilst it helped that Sakura was partnered with him, he could not always rely on her aid. Only the weak would depend on another. Idly, he wondered if the condition of his eyes was one of the reasons for her position as his partner. After all, it was no secret that his eyes were bothering him. Was Pein, or rather Tobi, attempting to create this weakness in him? To weaken him by leading him to depend on another?

Itachi smirked inwardly. Even if it was so, he would not succumb to such a thing. He had relied on himself far too long to fall into the trap of relying on someone else.

* * *

Tsunade's lips were pressed in a tight line as she waited for the two teams she had summoned to assemble before her. With Sakura's information arriving so late, they had to act fast if they wanted to intercept the Akatsuki. They could not allow the Akatsuki to get their hands on another bijuu. As it was, she did not even know if they could make it in time. 

This week was the busiest in all the time since Sakura had settled in the Akatsuki, starting with the situation in Tea Country. Knowing that Sakura would be elsewhere, Tsunade had dispatched Team Kakashi to handle the chaos there five days ago. She had heard nothing from them since then, and she could only hope that things were under control.

Then there was the issue with the spies. It was hardly surprising that the Akatsuki had spies in Konoha, and Tsunade knew that there was nothing she could do about it. If she acted anyway out of the ordinary, she might tip the spies off, and this would probably lead to questions being asked within the Akatsuki, putting Sakura at risk. At the moment, only she, Kakashi and Shikamaru knew about Sakura, therefore her student should be safe from the Akatsuki. The best she could do at the moment was to keep any plans to do with the Akatsuki close to her inner circle.

What was more worrying was how the Kazekage would react to the message she had just sent. No doubt the Kazekage's first question would be how Konoha had gotten their hands on such information, seeing that the event had occurred in Wind Country. She would not be able to answer him, and she hoped that Gaara would not choose to be obstinate this time because she had no time and patience to deal with a cranky Kazekage, considering their current situation.

It was clear to Tsunade that those wounded shinobi had been in a battle with Sakura and the Akatsuki. Only two survived but six were dead and Tsunade wondered if Sakura was responsible for any of the deaths. In their line of work, deaths were commonplace, and yet, she hoped that Sakura had not become completely jaded like so many other shinobi.

Akatsuki would come out in full force this time considering much they wanted the hachibi. The only unfortunate thing about this was that whomever she sent, they would be facing Sakura as well as the other Akatsuki members. It was not an ideal situation, but it could not be helped. For the integrity of Sakura's undercover mission, she could only instruct the teams to bring Sakura back alive, and put her faith in Sakura to evade capture.

Sakura had told them that not all of the Akatsuki members would be physically present during the extraction, that some of them would merely be projections. Tsunade frowned. The Akatsuki members were so careful to remain separated that it would be impossible to catch them all in the same place, and then ambush them.

This meant that Shikamaru's primary plan was unlikely to succeed.

A heavy sigh escaped her. In that case, she needed to discuss with Shikamaru the possibility of diverging from the original plan. The secondary plan would be riskier for Sakura, and prior to the mission, Sakura had been told to carry it out at her own discretion, without putting herself into harm's way. But knowing Sakura, the word 'harm' was relative. And if they decided that this was the way forward, they had to rely on Sakura checking out the pickup points to find their coded message.

A knock sounded on her door, and Tsunade called out, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Team Kurenai and an ANBU squad.

Tsunade's tone was firm when she began, "I have a mission for you…"

* * *

They crossed the border into River Country just as the sun peeked over the horizon. The journey had not taken long, and they encountered no trouble. 

And yet, Sakura could not stop her growing tension. In a short time, they would encounter the hachibi jinchuuriki and she would have to capture him. Unless, of course, Konoha intercepted it. She just hoped that her message got to Tsunade in time. Would Tsunade send someone? Would they arrive in time to stop the capture?

"Is something the matter?"

She could not tell him the truth. "We're running late," Sakura murmured absently.

"We are almost there."

Sakura bit her bottom lip. She was not worried about being late as such, but it was the first excuse which popped into her mind. Her worry was directed more towards the hachibi jinchuuriki.

"I'm supposed to capture the hachibi, remember?" she muttered. "Can't afford to be late."

"Aa."

Suddenly, Itachi's eyes narrowed.

A loud bang followed by a thick white cloud of smoke in the distance caught her attention. It was strangely familiar and Sakura had a feeling she knew who exactly was responsible for it. She almost groaned out loud, wondering just how much trouble was Deidara's actions going to cause her and how much injuries was the crazy blonde going to sustain this time.

"They are here," Itachi remarked levelly.

"Deidara definitely is," she replied dryly. "I wonder if there will be anything left of the hachibi once we get there. He could have waited for us."

"He is rash."

Sakura glanced sideways at Itachi. "He's crazy."

His brow lifted slightly. "Kisame is of the impression that you're as crazy as Deidara."

A gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it. "He said WHAT?" she cried incredulously. "He has some nerve. And who is he to talk anyway? I bet-"

"Sakura-san," he interjected suddenly.

His tone warned her that something was not quite right. She spun around, her stance prepared for any eventuality. Someone was heading their way. True enough, a moment later, two rogue ninjas appeared before them.

"Look at what we have here," one of them spat. "More Akatsuki brats for us to play with."

The other sneered. "Akira is pretty popular nowadays, isn't he?"

"Akira?" Sakura echoed questioningly, glancing at Itachi. "The jinchuuriki, I presume."

"Aa."

Sakura nodded once before turning back to their opponents. So these two must be the hachibi jinchuuriki's companions, the jounin missing-nins Kisame had told them about in the meeting.

The first one who had spoken scowled darkly. "You Akatsuki only look at him like a beast, don't you? You've been chasing him for years and you still have no idea what's his name."

"It is irrelevant," Itachi intoned dispassionately.

Sakura almost winced at his words, even though she knew that she should not be surprised at all. When was she going to ever learn that the Akatsuki was a bunch of cold-hearted criminals? But no matter how many times she heard such things, it still disturbed her.

It suddenly occurred to her that if not for this undercover mission of hers, the situation could be reversed and these two rogue shinobi could be her and Sai, trying to protect Naruto. A twinge of pity coursed through her at the thought that two of them would definitely lose at the hand of the Akatsuki if Konoha did not reach them in time to provide backup.

"Prepare to die, Akatsuki!"

The rogue shinobi raised his hands in preparation to perform a jutsu.

Just as Sakura was about to do the same, a streak of blue caught her attention. Kisame landed in front of them a second later, and the missing-nin's attack was instantly absorbed by Samehada. Without a pause, Kisame performed a water jutsu. The ground instantly rumbled and water began to spurt out of the cracks, spraying straight towards the two missing-nins.

Sakura could only blink at the speed of things. The two missing-nins were temporarily distracted, struggling against the water, but she was sure that they would be back soon.

"Let's go," Itachi instructed as he streaked forward.

With a nod, Sakura began to run towards the battlefield. A quick glance sideways told her that Kisame had pulled up beside her.

She frowned at the smug look on his face. "What?"

"That shinobi's jutsu would have hit you right in your face, kunoichi," the Mist shinobi said, grinning down at her.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "As if." Then she inclined her head in the direction of the explosions. "You left Deidara there alone?"

Kisame raised a brow. "He's just warning up the jinchuuriki for you."

"He's probably trying to get revenge for what happened before," Sakura muttered dryly, recalling the giant hole in the blonde's stomach the first day she had set foot in the Akatsuki's stronghold.

Itachi glanced back towards them. "How many are there?"

"Two teams. Eight including the jinchuuriki," Kisame replied. "Deidara and I took two down earlier, so excluding the two drowning ones, there are three left with the jinchuuriki."

"Where is Tobi?" Itachi asked.

"Pein called him back."

The flicker of suspicion in Itachi's eyes was barely perceptible, but Sakura caught it. She frowned inwardly, wondering what could have caused Itachi's reaction. Come to think of it, this was not the first time she had noticed Itachi paying attention to what Tobi did.

Then her mind shifted away from Itachi when she caught sight of another explosion. She was close enough now to see the four figures fighting next to a wide river.

As she ran towards them, Sakura took a deep breath, trying to ignore the way the hair behind her neck was standing on its end at the sheer amount of yellow chakra exuded by the brown-haired jinchuuriki. To her surprise, he was around her age, maybe a few years older. He reminded her of Naruto in his uncontrolled state, but she could not see any tails behind him. Also, it was clear by the way he was fighting that he was a very skilled shinobi.

This was not going to be an easy battle at all.

The three rogue shinobi surrounding the jinchuuriki spotted them, and began to peel off, leaving Deidara to fight with the jinchuuriki alone.

"Go to the jinchuuriki," Itachi instructed, his steps slowing.

Sakura nodded curtly and then continued to streak towards the jinchuuriki.

Surreptitiously, she scanned the area around them as she ran. There was no one else present except the jinchuuriki's team and the Akatsuki. Where was Konoha? Did they not receive her message? At the rate things were going, the Akatsuki would end up capturing the hachibi, and she would have no way of stopping them without blowing her cover.

What should she do?

* * *

A/N: And that's it for this chapter. Hope you've enjoyed it. Things are about to get a bit more serious for the next couple of chapters. Please review if you can, I'd love to know what you thought of the chapter. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Big hugs to Kinkatia, Dark Darianna Minamino, ArjunaAnja, Blueberry Babe, Ita-ta, AkatsukiSakura73, sympatheticassassin, TeenageCrisis, midnight000shadow, aznkitty180, Hao'sAnjul, animeismyname, SasukeSakuraxXXx, troublesomefemale, crystal teardrops, Reimei Hoshi, Jester08, kakashininjadogs, monoxidedreams, TT, sadbird, Illidan the Half Demon, Selene98, Leila411, Luka1Sakura, tuffyluffy, Undefined Soul, Saturnalia, sweet-taboos, Goatis, and animal.cracker.assassinator. for reviewing! You guys are the best!

Hope you'll enjoy this next instalment…

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 12**

What should she do?

Sakura did not have much time to mull over her predicament because just then, the two fighting shinobi broke apart. Entire body tense, she regarded the brown-haired jinchuuriki warily. This close, she could make out his features better, including his golden eyes. He was as tall as Kakashi, but a little broader. What surprised her was his lack of hitai-ate. Come to think of it, none of his companions wore headbands either. Which village did they originate from?

Deidara landed beside her, a smirk gracing his features. "You're late, yeah."

"Got held up by Suna's ANBU," she muttered absently before turning her attention back to the jinchuuriki.

"Too bad, I was having fun here," Deidara remarked.

"It's miracle you haven't blown yourself up yet," she responded dryly.

"Well, at least you're here to patch me back up, yeah."

She slanted him an exasperated look. "Don't take it for granted."

The jinchuuriki chose that moment to close the distance between them, and Sakura's eyes immediately went to the chained, curved scythe held in his hand. Then he halted, allowing his golden eyes to run over her assessingly, like he was trying to gauge her strength.

"A kunoichi this time, I see." Sneering at Deidara, the jinchuuriki taunted, "Can't handle your own fight, Deidara?"

Surprised that the jinchuuriki knew the blonde Akatsuki, Sakura continued to stare at him. Then she remembered that they had clashed before. The introduction must have happened then, she surmised.

Deidara snorted derisively. "Hardly. But to be fair, the kunoichi should get a shot at you, yeah."

The jinchuuriki turned to her. "I'm Akira. I'd ask for your name but then again, it'll just be a waste of time." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Because you're not going to live much longer."

With that, Akira disappeared in a blur.

Sakura tensed instantly, knowing that Akira had disappeared to wait for the right moment to attack.

"I'll leave you to it, yeah," Deidara remarked as he retreated.

Without responding to him, she quickly commenced an earth jutsu. Just as she was about to complete the seals, the jinchuuriki materialized close to her, his hand extending to release a stream of golden liquid from his palm.

Her eyes widened slightly in alarm. Before it could hit, Sakura finished her seals. In a blink of an eye, she slipped through the parted earth into the ground out of harm's way. Reemerging some distance away, she grimaced when she glanced at the spot where she had been. The earth had been melted into a smoking crater by that golden liquid. What kind of jutsu was it?

"Missed," the jinchuuriki hissed with a frown.

Then he extended his hands again.

Another shot of golden liquid flew in her direction, forcing her to perform a substitution jutsu. Once again, when she reappeared, the log she had used as a substitute was now nothing more than a smoking, melted puddle. This time, she could smell a pungent hint to the smoke, leading her to conclude that the golden liquid was some sort of acid.

Was this the jinchuuriki's bloodline limit? If that was the case, she was truly in trouble. Fighting someone with a bloodline limit was bad enough, but fighting a _jinchuuriki_ with a bloodline limit was worse. And knowing bloodline limits were like, Akira probably has a more powerful one up his sleeves.

"Shame. I was so close too," the jinchuuriki spat in annoyance. "Oh, well. I'll just try again."

Sakura grimaced as she flipped into the air to avoid another spray of the liquid. This jinchuuriki's persistence was beginning to get on her nerves. Did he not realize what sort of danger he was in? Or was he really that confident that he would be able to defeat them all?

Most importantly, how should she proceed?

She did not want to capture the jinchuuriki at all, for obvious reasons. But she had to fight back to make sure that she would not end up dead at his hands. So should she fight or not? What if she accidentally caught him? On the other hand, what if she did not capture him, and the Akatsuki grew suspicious? Or worse, kill her for her supposed incompetence?

"What the hell are you doing, yeah?"

She glanced sharply at the voice to find Deidara flying overhead on his clay bird, his features contorted into a disapproving frown.

From the other end of the clearing, turning briefly away from his opponent, Kisame shouted, "Take him out already, kunoichi. We don't have all day."

"Just keep out of the way, you two," she ground out irritably. "I can handle it."

The jinchuuriki snarled, "You underestimate me if you think it's that easy to defeat me."

Sakura glanced toward the Uchiha to find that he had turned from his opponent to cast her a pointed look. One which she returned with a challenging tilt of her chin. There was no way she would let them to rush her on this.

She inhaled deeply. This was not the time to be indecisive, Sakura, she scolded herself sternly. She had a furious jinchuuriki in front of her, and the rest of the Akatsuki watching her movements intently. It was quite obvious that she had no choice but to capture the jinchuuriki if Konoha's teams did not arrive. The best thing she could do after that was to try out the jutsu she had been researching, and hope that it would work.

So right now, she had to go on the offensive.

Mind made up, Sakura tightened her fists and sprang into action. Retrieving a handful of shuriken, she flung them out at the jinchuuriki, zigzagging towards him.

Fully aware of her approach, he deflected her flying weapons with his kunai and then leapt into the air. Sakura braced herself as his kick neared her. Just before it impacted, she twisted sharply to the side and swung her kunai in a sideway arc at him. Unfortunately, Akira had seen the attack coming, managing to substitute himself with a log at the last minute.

When he appeared again, they met with a clash of kunai. Eyes following his every move, Sakura met him blow for blow as they engaged in a taijutsu battle, all the while thanking the fact that he was not as swift as Itachi because she had not performed the enhancement jutsu on her eyes.

After a long while of trading unsuccessful blows, Sakura decided that she must try something else. With that thought, she flipped backwards from the jinchuuriki until she was a fair distance away.

"Running away so soon, Akatsuki?" Akira taunted with a sneer.

Her eyes narrowed. "Hardly."

Drawing her gloved fist back, she punched down into the ground, instantly creating web-like cracks.

In a blink of an eye, one of the fractures in the ground propagated from where her fist landed straight towards the jinchuuriki, and then with a loud crack, exploded upwards. As chunks of sharp rocks shot up at him, the jinchuuriki tried to deflect them with his scythe, but the sheer number of rocks was too much for him to handle. A hiss of pain escaped his lips as the rocks cut into him and moments later, he crashed to the ground.

Sakura stared at the unmoving form.

Astounded by her success, Sakura stepped closer, wanting to inspect his condition. The flapping sound of wings caught her attention, making her pause. When she glanced up, she found Deidara hovering close to her, observing the jinchuuriki intently.

"He's down."

"State the obvious, why don't you?" Sakura muttered.

It could not be this easy, she thought suspiciously as she eyed the body. There were numerous deep wounds peppering Akira's body, and the ground beneath him was stained red. Even though this was the expected result of her attack, there was something about it that did not seem quite right. Maybe it was because she knew that Akira was not a weak shinobi, and thus, should not go down so easily.

Then she saw it.

Right before her eyes, the jinchuuriki's wounds began to knit together, glowing bright yellow as they did so.

"Impossible," she whispered, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

"That's what happened last time as well, yeah. I blew him up and he just healed like that," Deidara declared from above.

Shooting the blonde an accusing glare, she snapped, "And it didn't occur to you to tell the rest of us?"

Deidara smirked. "I wanted to see how you'd deal with it, yeah."

Before she could respond, Deidara's attention was drawn to an oncoming shinobi, another one of the jinchuuriki's companion. Throwing her a casual nod, he turned his clay bird around to head for his opponent.

Spinning back to face the jinchuuriki, Sakura continued to watch, her medical side itching to study the phenomenon further. It was not everyday that she had the chance to see something like this. The speed of his healing was unreal. Even Naruto did not heal that fast. But it looked like he had to be stationary while he was healing, a weakness which she could exploit.

But did she want to do that?

No, no, no! She already made up her mind to capture the jinchuuriki, so she would stick to the plan unless Konoha showed up. And while she was at it, she could do her best to delay things as much as possible without looking suspicious.

The clatter of rock rubble was the only warning she got as the brown-haired shinobi got to his feet, his entire body fully healed. Then her wary eyes met his golden ones.

"Did you think that it was going to be so easy?" Akira mocked as he brought his fingers together.

"Actually, no. I was rather surprised," she responded dryly, her eyes fixed to his hands.

A bark of mirthless laughter left him. "I know what the rest are capable of, but now that I've seen what you're capable of, it's time to get serious."

Akira completed a series of seals she did not recognize. And then her hair stood on its end at the sheer force of the chakra that was beginning to pulse around the jinchuuriki. He was preparing for an attack, and whatever it was, she had a feeling that it was going to be bad. But not knowing what it was, she had no way of planning a counterattack.

The jinchuuriki's eyes flashed menacingly, and she brought her hands up in preparation.

Then Sakura felt her heart stop as a rain of yellow chakra missiles fanned out from him, its centre heading straight for her.

How the hell was she supposed to avoid this?

* * *

Without blinking an eye, Itachi swiftly sliced his kunai across his opponent's throat. As the shinobi slumped to the ground, he could not help but wonder why the hachibi jinchuuriki allowed such weaklings to accompany him.

A heavy pulse of chakra drew Itachi's attention to the kunoichi and his eyes immediately narrowed when he saw the mass of yellow chakra missiles heading toward her.

Without hesitation, he streaked towards her, his fingers rapidly flipping through different seals. All the while, he ignored the small voice at the back of his mind that insisted that his actions were unnecessary. After all, Sakura was the one who was supposed to capture the jinchuuriki while the rest of them took care of the others. Personally, he was not concerned at all if she lived or died, he insisted to himself. It was simply a waste if she was allowed die. After all, her skills had aided the rest of them more than once.

With that thought, Itachi released a powerful water jutsu straight at the oncoming missiles while a clone of his knocked Sakura out of the way. As his water jutsu deflected the chakra missiles, he glanced sideways to see the kunoichi getting to her feet, her eyes not leaving the hachibi jinchuuriki.

"Thanks, Itachi-san," she said tightly.

He glanced sideways at her, surprised to hear the unmistakable hint of annoyance in her voice. His deduction was confirmed when she spoke next, her tone somewhat bitter.

"But I could have handled that. There was no need for you to interfere."

"Hm." He was not convinced.

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not some weakling who needs rescuing."

"I never said that, Sakura-san," he intoned flatly.

Clearly, something about his action bothered the kunoichi.

However, he had no time to entertain her mood swings for the jinchuuriki was approaching them, his entire form still glowing with the yellow chakra. Without hesitation, Itachi performed the seals for a fire jutsu. A moment later, a large ball of flame shot towards its target.

Itachi's eyes narrowed when he realized that the jinchuuriki made no attempt to counter it. When the fireball hit his shoulder, the jinchuuriki let out a hiss of pain but remained on his feet. After a moment, his expression cleared.

"When are you all going to learn that nothing would work on me? I'll just heal," the jinchuuriki declared with a smug smirk.

Right before Itachi's eyes, the jinchuuriki's burnt flesh began to glow yellow. Then the bloodied flesh began to bind together, until there was nothing but freshly mended skin.

Itachi's eyes narrowed speculatively at the evidence of the hachibi's healing powers. The speed of regeneration was astounding. It was growing increasingly clear to him why capturing this particular jinchuuriki was proving to be such a difficult task, for no matter how many times this jinchuuriki was wounded, he would immediately regenerate.

With this kind of regenerative power within his grasp, Itachi knew that one of his goals was even closer than he had imagined. He no longer needed to wait for Naruto's capture to commence his plan. Which meant that he had to do everything in his power now to ensure that this jinchuuriki was captured in a timely manner.

He glanced sideways at the kunoichi, noting with approval that her chakra level was still high. Neither Zetsu nor Deidara had been able to handle the jinchuuriki by themselves, therefore it would be prudent to aid the kunoichi. It did not matter that she was meant to capture the jinchuuriki on her own, for if she failed, the repercussions was unacceptable, especially in the light of his recent knowledge.

"I'll distract him," he announced firmly.

The kunoichi glanced sharply at him. "What do you mean?

"He will not be able to handle both of us at once."

He watched as her eyes flickered in hesitation. Surely she was not foolish enough to reject his aid. Although she was strong, it was clear that this jinchuuriki's skills put them at a severe disadvantage if they chose to fight him one on one. Or perhaps her hesitation was due to the notion of accepting _his_ aid. After all, she had been rather annoyed earlier.

* * *

Seething with barely suppressed annoyance, Sakura clenched her fists tight.

Itachi offering to help her was the last thing she needed right now. Firstly and foremost, what he had done just now reminded her painfully of her days with Team 7, where Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke had always ended up saving her in one way or another. It had made her feel so weak and useless, and she had since vowed that she would not put herself in that position again.

No, she did not want his help. Besides, she needed to be left to her own devices so that she could delay this stupid fight as long as possible to give Konoha more time to get there. If Itachi interfered…

"No."

"You will do as I say," Itachi insisted, his tone uncompromising.

Annoyed by his previous actions and his arrogance, Sakura replied curtly, "This is not your task, Itachi-san. I can handle him."

"Not alone."

Aggravated beyond belief at his condescending words, Sakura bristled. "Are you saying that I can't handle this on my own?" she gritted out, her voice barely controlled.

"Yes."

Before she could respond, he slanted a sharp warning glance at her. "There is no need to be offended. I'm merely stating a fact. His strength far exceeds our individual strengths. Neither of us would succeed alone."

Sakura blinked, suddenly realizing that he had included himself in that statement. She had expected him to say that she was too weak, that she would mess this up. But that was not what he meant at all. An odd warmth washed over her, and at that moment, she understood that he did not help her because he had thought that she was weak.

Furthermore, the fact that he had admitted that he had a limit made him seem more… human.

Inner Sakura took the opportunity to mutter, 'Of course he's human, baka! What else could he be?'

Sakura rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore her inner self.

"Are we in agreement, Sakura-san?" Itachi prompted, his eyes narrowing with impatience even though he kept his tones low.

It was clear that he would not accept 'no' as an answer, so she really had no choice. Exhaling loudly, she finally nodded. "Fine."

"Normal methods would not work on this opponent. You will execute your medical jutsu on my command to render him unconscious," he instructed so quietly that no one else except her could hear him.

Sakura's eyes widened when she comprehended his intention. It was the method she had used when she defeated Kisame for the first time, and Itachi remembered it. The jinchuuriki could heal his wounds all he liked, but if he was unconscious, he would not be able to stop them from capturing him. And if she used the correct amount of chakra, she would be able to knock the jinchuuriki out for a long while.

"Do you understand?"

The moment she nodded, Itachi streaked away towards the jinchuuriki. Sakura watched with slight admiration and a growing envy as he performed seals at such speed that she could not even make out what it was. She only recognized it when he called out the jutsu's name.

"Suiton: Suiryuudan-no-Jutsu."

Two dragon water projectiles appeared from the nearby river while Akira's chakra-infused scythe sped towards Itachi. One of the dragons deflected the scythe, while the other struck a path towards the brown-haired shinobi. The jinchuuriki darted away just before the second dragon reached him, but the jutsu remained in effect, forcing Akira to move continuously to avoid being hit. Then, obviously growing annoyed, the jinchuuriki's yellow chakra flared, pulsing out in a heavy wave.

Itachi immediately dispelled the dragons and called up a wall of water to counter the pulse of yellow chakra. However, that gave Akira the opportunity to close the distance between them.

They met with a clash of kunai against scythe, and then a furious exchange of blows commenced. It went on for a while before Itachi sprung back suddenly, landing close to her.

"Hide yourself in the ground and wait," he intoned quietly before he returned his attention to the jinchuuriki.

Acknowledging his words with a nod, Sakura performed the necessary seals and soon found herself in the dark, surrounded by rock and earth. Sounds of explosions rumbled over her repeatedly, but hidden underground, she was not able to tell what was happening. She wondered how long she would have to wait in there until Itachi found an opening for her.

Her question was soon answered.

"Now, Sakura!" Itachi called out from above.

Teeth gritted in determination, Sakura pushed out from the ground, her hands glowing green in preparation for the attack. The bright sunlight blinded her for a second before she realized that she would end up right behind the jinchuuriki, who was currently up in the air fending off an attack from Itachi which she could not see. It must be some kind of genjutsu.

Then she was behind her target.

Akira tensed as he detected her presence, but Sakura did not hesitate. In a fraction of a second, she pressed her glowing palms on the sides of the jinchuuriki's head, careful to control her chakra precisely. A cry of pain escaped Akira's lips, and Sakura winced at the sound. She knew that the surge of her chakra in his head was agonizing and she hated doing this to him.

Much to her relief, the jinchuuriki soon went limp.

Itachi streaked towards them, catching the jinchuuriki before he could crash to the ground.

When she came up next to them, he gave her a brief nod. Sakura felt an odd rush of warmth at his obvious approval. Then, when she realized what she was doing, she instantly stiffened. She did not need anyone's approval, let alone Uchiha Itachi's, she insisted sternly.

"I can't believe you've done it, yeah," Deidara exclaimed, dropping to his feet beside her, his expression an odd mix of admiration and disbelief.

Hiding her discomfiture, she nudged her head at Itachi. "It was his plan, not mine."

Laying the unconscious jinchuuriki on the ground, the Uchiha cast her an unreadable look. "And yet, it is not achievable without your jutsu."

Joining them, Kisame scowled darkly at her. "I can't believe you used that damned jutsu again."

Sakura grinned at the irritated Mist shinobi. "And I can't believe you're still whining about that little headache."

Kisame's eyes narrowed into slits as his face turned slightly purple. "One day, kunoichi-"

"Let's go," Itachi interjected abruptly. "We've wasted enough time."

With a nod, Kisame bend down to pick the jinchuuriki up before slinging the limp form over his shoulder.

Silently, Sakura followed the three Akatsuki as they bounded from tree limb to tree limb, heading north.

At the thought of what was to come, Sakura sighed inwardly. This was it then. There was no backing out of her untested jutsu now, no matter what happened. She would just have to do all she could to keep the jinchuuriki alive, but it was beginning to look like the Akatsuki would get their hands on the hachibi.

Deciding to prepare while they moved onwards, she ran through everything she had learn in her research. The bands were in the scroll in her pack, and everything else was in her mind, so she was as prepared as she could be.

It was then that a pinprick of awareness urged her to glance over her shoulders.

Eyes widening in recognition, Sakura swallowed a gasp of elation as four Konoha shinobi came into view in the distance. They were clearly ANBU, but she could not make out who they were at this distance. Konoha was finally here!

But they were a little late, weren't they?

Indecision made her steps falter. The ANBU squad was close enough to catch up now. Should she continue to run, or should she try to come up with something to delay the Akatsuki? A quick glance sideways told her that the rest had spotted the Leaf ANBU as well.

"Konoha again!" Kisame growled as he pushed off another tree branch. "Hey, kunoichi, tell your friends to give up. They're just wasting their time."

Sakura cast the Mist-nin a dark scowl. "Why don't you tell them that yourself, Shark-Face? Or are you scared that they'll slice you up into little bite-sized pieces?"

Kisame's only response was a dismissive snort.

"They are a persistent bunch, hm? The same thing happened back when we caught Shukaku." Grinning, Deidara cast her a meaningful look. "At least you're on this side now, yeah."

Forcing out a tight smile, Sakura averted her eyes. For some reason, Deidara's words made her feel strangely… guilty.

"Deidara."

"What, hm?"

"Stay back and hold them off," Itachi instructed. "The rest of us will move forward and cover our trails."

Closing her eyes to conceal her anxiety, Sakura hoped that things would not turn too rough. Itachi's plan to hold Konoha back while the rest of them progressed meant that Konoha would never catch up in time to stop the extraction from happening unless they managed to defeat Deidara.

Deidara's eyes rounded. "There are four of them back there, yeah. How the hell am I supposed to finish them off and make it back in time?"

Frowning at the realization of something, Sakura asked, "We've been fighting for a while now. How exactly are we going to take part in the extraction when we're all so low on chakra?"

"We will replenish our chakra when we arrive at the extraction chamber," Itachi told her evenly. "It's a standard process."

Kisame's steps slowed as he turned to Itachi. Shifting the jinchuuriki down from his shoulder, he said, "Itachi-san, take the jinchuuriki. I'll stay back with Deidara to get rid of the leaf-nins faster."

Wordlessly, Itachi took the unconscious jinchuuriki from Kisame, propping the body over one shoulder. "Do not be late."

"It won't take long, Itachi-san."

"Let's go." Nudging at Itachi before turning to her, Deidara smirked, "Don't let him run off with the jinchuuriki, yeah."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I can't see why Itachi-san would do such a thing."

When Deidara and Kisame turned around to head back the way they came from, Sakura joined Itachi in the opposite direction. Things were certainly not turning out as planned, she thought worriedly. Konoha had arrived far too late to be of any use. Tsunade would be so mad at the ANBU squad when she found out what happened. And probably mad at her too, for sending the message so late. She just hoped that the ANBU, whoever they were, would survive the fight with Deidara and Kisame. The last thing she needed was more deaths on her conscience.

"Sakura-san."

She slowed beside him, casting him a questioning look. "What?"

"Do you have a blank scroll in your possession?"

At the suddenness of Itachi's query, a frown on confusion made its way across her features. "A blank scroll?" Recalling what was in her pack, she replied slowly, "Yes. Why?"

"I need it."

Her frown deepened. It was not as if she had any immediate use for that spare scroll, but the fact that Itachi was asking for it seemed a little odd. Those scrolls were normally used for the execution of her medical jutsu, even though it could be used for other purposes.

"Why do you need it?" she asked curiously.

He cast her an indecipherable look. "It's… personal."

Personal? Baffled, Sakura blinked at him. The idea of Itachi indulging in something 'personal' seemed a little strange. But maybe he wanted to make some notes or something and she was just being overly suspicious. After all, it was only a scroll.

Deciding that it was not worth making a fuss about it, she nodded. Besides, if would look odd if she refused. Reaching into her pack, she pulled said scroll out and extended it to him.

"Here."

Taking it from her, he gave her a nod of thanks. "I'll replace it with a new one."

A small smile made its way to her lips. "That's not necessary, Itachi-san. It's only a blank scroll."

"I insist."

She sighed in exasperation. "Fine. Make sure it's a gold-gilded one then," she said wryly.

He raised a brow at her, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.

Waving a hand dismissively, she clarified, "I'm charging interest on it."

His eyes warmed a fraction with amusement. "Aa."

With that, Itachi turned from her to resume their journey. Occasionally, her gaze would slide towards the unconscious jinchuuriki propped on Itachi's shoulders, wondering if he would make it. Her jutsu was the only thing which could save Akira at this point, and she had every intention of not failing him, even though he had been hell-bent on killing her just now.

Shortly into the journey, Itachi made them stop. Then she spent the next hour or so backtracking and laying false trails under Itachi's instruction. By the end of it, Sakura finally resigned herself to the fact that Konoha would never catch up to them because this was the first time she had seen such an elaborate track-covering scheme.

"The technique you used isn't covered in the Konoha syllabus, is it?" she asked as they returned to the correct path.

He raised an inquiring brow at her.

She waved behind them before clarifying, "I meant how you covered our tracks. I don't remember learning it during my ANBU training."

His lips twisted slightly, and his features took on a look of disdain. "Konoha's training regime is flawed."

Biting back the urge to defend Konoha, Sakura closed her eyes to calm herself. When she spoke again, her voice was even. "So, it's something from another village?"

"It's mine," he supplied succinctly, his tone inviting no further questions.

Blinking with surprise, Sakura stared at him. She supposed she should have expected it from him. He was the prodigy of the Uchiha clan after all. One who was good enough to make it into ANBU when he was only eleven and two years later, had succeeded in murdering his entire clan. Strangely enough, she seemed to always overlook that little fact. To her, Itachi was Itachi, a member of the Akatsuki who happened to be her partner. Only at times like this would she be reminded of his background. Like a good little missing-nin, she had conveniently brushed aside his past, only seeing him for what he was now.

A little worried, Sakura raised a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. Perhaps this infiltration mission was really getting to her. She was in so deep that the line between reality and acting was getting a little blurred. Then again, she was doing things exactly like the way Kakashi had drilled into her.

Eyes softening, she allowed herself a brief moment of recollection.

_It had been three weeks since she had accepted the mission to infiltrate the Akatsuki._

_She and Kakashi were sitting under a tree in their usual training ground, while Naruto and Sai were sparring in the next one. Considering the scale of Naruto's and Sai's attacks nowadays, it was simply impossible to train in the same area without suffering some sort of accidental damage. _

_It was just as well, because she could hardly progress with her so-called 'ANBU training' with Naruto and Sai within hearing distance. And today's lesson was the first one she would have on the topic of espionage. It was the most important thing for her to learn well because she would be living such a life for who knew how long. _

_His Icha Icha book laid on his lap, Kakashi proceeded to tutor her on what she should and should not do. For once, he was showing some interest in training her. _

"_Try not to lie outright because I'm sure some of the Akatsuki is perceptive enough to catch it."_

"_Then what should I do?" she asked._

"_Half-truths, Sakura. You shouldn't divulge much in the first place, because missing-nins are generally unwilling to talk. They won't expect you to be open."_

"_Okay," she replied slowly, not quite sure how she was going to pull it off._

"_How good are you at acting, Sakura?"_

_She blinked. "I don't know. I've not done it before."_

_Kakashi peered at her assessingly out of his one visible eye. "The good news is, it's not difficult."_

"_What's the bad news?" she asked cautiously._

"_To convince someone else, you'll have to first convince yourself. Once you're out there, you must behave like a missing-nin. And once you manage to convince yourself, you'll fit right in with them, and no one will be the wiser. It is important that you must believe you're a missing-nin or else it'll fail. And you will die."_

_Sakura swallowed hard._

_Then Kakashi's eye creased as he beamed. "Don't worry too much about it, Sakura. You'll do fine."_

_A scowl made its way to her face. "How could I not worry, Kakashi-sensei? What if I can't convince anyone that I'm a missing-nin?"_

"_You'll be surprised just how easy it is to slip into the role," Kakashi remarked quietly. "That's not going to be your main problem, I think."_

_She leaned forward, wondering what he would tell her next. "Then what is?"_

_His visible eye flickered. "You might end up convincing yourself too well."_

Sakura sighed as she brushed away the memory of her conversation with her sensei. As usual, he was right. Perhaps she had convinced herself a little too well, seeing just how comfortable she was around the Akatsuki. But what could she do about it? So long as she did not betray Konoha, everything should be okay, right?

It had to be okay, because she did not have any other option at this moment.

* * *

Itachi knew that he had taken a risk in asking the kunoichi for the scroll. It was clear that she had been suspicious of his motives. However, it could not be helped, for he did not carry one and did not have the time to procure one. The benefits outweighed the risks considering the circumstances.

Besides, from what he knew of the kunoichi, she was not the type to be indiscreet, even though she always appeared to express each and every emotion she felt whether it was inappropriate or not. In an odd way, it made her more trustworthy than the rest because she was so easy to read. If she chose to betray him, he would know.

It was then that it occurred to him that the kunoichi had been silent for a long time. He frowned slightly. It was most uncharacteristic of her to do so. A brief sideway glance told him that she was lost in her thoughts. Idly, he wondered what she was thinking. He doubted that she was thinking about their interaction in the past few days, for the look she sported appeared far to somber for it. It was likely that she was thinking about the extraction.

His thoughts were confirmed when she next spoke.

"Where is this extraction chamber?"

"Close to the border between Rain and River."

"We're almost there then."

"Aa."

Itachi glanced at the unconscious jinchuuriki slung over his shoulders. This one had a few followers. Although he was not like Naruto, who had the support of the entire Hidden Village of Leaf, the hachibi jinchuuriki had enough companions to give the Akatsuki more of a problem in capturing him.

Absently, Itachi could not help but wonder how Naruto had done it. From their previous encounters, it was clear that the Leaf shinobi truly treated him as one of their own. They were not there because they wish to use his power. They were there because he was one of them, he was their friend. How had the kyuubi vessel managed to gain the support of so many others?

Why was Naruto not isolated?

Unbidden, flashes of memories long forgotten invaded Itachi's mind.

"_Look here, if it isn't Itachi," the elderly woman greeted cheerfully._

_Itachi forced himself to smile back. He could not help but remember that time a few years ago that this woman was one of those who had slammed the window shut when he called for help. He understood now that it had been a necessary part of his training, but he could still feel the taste of betrayal on his tongue. _

_The woman's son stepped out from their house. The boy was only about three years older than him, if he remembered correctly. Used to this sort of reaction, Itachi simply stared at him impassively as the boy glared at him. _

_The boy's tone was mocking when he spat, "What are you doing here, Itachi? Not practicing any new jutsu to show off?"_

_The woman spun around to slap the back of her son's head. "Do not talk like that to Itachi! YOU should be the one practicing! When are you going to learn from Itachi? He was only seven when he became a genin. You're now twelve and you haven't even graduated from the Academy!" she scolded. "You're useless!" _

"_Okaa-san!" the boy complained as he rubbed the back of his head. "Don't compare me with him. He's a freak!"_

"_Don't say such things! Itachi's the pride of our clan! He's the one leading us all in the future."_

_There was nothing new about what she was saying. He had heard this conversation over and over again, albeit with different families. But Itachi did not want to listen anymore, so he began to walk away. _

_A bitter smile crossed his lips. So, he was the pride of the clan, huh? Yes, he supposed that the statement was accurate. After all, they had all played a part in his training, in pushing him towards his current skill level. They needed to do so because they needed someone to stand for the Uchiha name, even though those Uchihas around his age resented him for it. _

_That was also why he was isolated. _

_When one was as skilled as he was, isolation was inevitable. Within the clan, he was regarded as a prodigy, the one who brought them prestige, the one who put the Uchiha name above all other shinobi. It may be an arrogant thing to think of, but Itachi knew that it was nothing but the truth. His skills were something they took pride in. He was doing this so that they could hold their heads up high while walking down the streets of Konoha. _

_He was fully aware of the looks the rest of the genin gave him, even his own teammates. Those looks displayed their envy, mixed with a little fear. They were wise to be cautious, for he rarely held back during training or missions. Why should he? He had learnt from an early age that one needed to be pushed to excel, the way he had been pushed. The group of genin around him had obviously not learnt such a thing, and thus, their skills were below his. _

_Without him, they would still be doing D-Rank missions, instead of their usual C-Rank or B-Rank missions. Although B-Rank missions were not the norm for genin teams, the Sandaime had seen enough of his performance to allocate such missions to them when he was a part of the team. _

_Without him, they would simply be another regular, unremarkable genin team. _

When the memory faded out of his mind, Itachi found himself standing before the assigned site for the extraction. He glanced down at the deep river, a little displeased that he had to submerge himself because this time, it was a chamber accessible only from an underwater entrance. The entrance itself, of course, was secured by seals.

The kunoichi glanced around, a perplexed frown adorning her brows. "Where's the place for the extraction?"

He inclined his head towards the flowing water. "Down in the river."

Her eyes rounded in incredulity. "You've got to be joking."

"No." His tone was tinged in muted disgust.

"Whose great idea was this?"

"Pein."

With that, Itachi lowered the jinchuuriki from his shoulder as he stepped into the river up to his waist. Knowing that he would not be able to do this on his own, he turned to the kunoichi. "We will pull him along between us."

She eyed the jinchuuriki with a frown. "Isn't he going to drown?"

"Unlikely."

A look of misgiving crossed her features, and then to his puzzlement, her expression changed to one which he could not decipher.

"I guess it can't be helped," she remarked evenly.

Then she jumped into the river on the other side of the jinchuuriki. Much to Itachi's annoyance, the impact of her landing splashed a generous amount of cold water into his face. It occurred to him then that as astounding as it was, the kunoichi possessed the grace of an elephant at times, but when it suited her, she could be as graceful as a swan.

He eyed her suspiciously through his wet lashes. Unless, of course, she splashed him on purpose? Not that it mattered of course, because they would both eventually be submerged in the water.

Giving him an innocent look, she said, "What?"

That look in itself was enough to confirm his suspicions. For a moment, he deliberated if he should counter her childish prank, until he was reminded that he had more important things to focus on now. He would pay her back, but later.

"Wait, let me try something on him first."

Wondering what she had in mind, Itachi simply nodded. Turning her attention to the jinchuuriki, she performed the seals for a wind jutsu, and then her chakra changed to one which glowed green before she held her palm to the jinchuuriki's nose.

At his questioning look, she explained, "It's what medics use sometimes instead of an oxygen mask. Don't want him to die on us, do we?"

"Hm."

Taking an arm each, they exchanged a look before simultaneously submerging themselves into the cold water. Slicing through the water with powerful strokes, Itachi pulled them deeper into the river, directing them towards the underwater entrance to the cavern. He halted at the blocked entrance and released his grip on the jinchuuriki's arm, allowing the kunoichi to hold the limp body by her chakra-enhanced hand.

A quick series of seals later, with a low rumble, the boulder blocking the entrance moved aside to allow them entry.

Treading water, Itachi turned to the kunoichi. Idly, he noted the way her hair was spread all around her in a pink mass, making her look somewhat ethereal. Shaking the random thought away, Itachi reached his hands out to take the jinchuuriki from her.

It was then that a stray underwater current slammed into him from behind, abruptly forcing him towards the kunoichi.

Before he could prevent it, his lips connected with her soft warm ones, and his eyes shot up to meet her widened emerald orbs through the water. Then the current pushed against him again, forcing his right cheek to slide past hers. And when his arm went around her waist in reflex, he could not help but think of just how silky her skin felt against his in the water.

For a brief moment, he contemplated pulling her closer to taste her lips properly.

In the next second, his vision was obscured by a mass of air bubbles as the kunoichi broke from his hold. As the bubbles cleared, he caught Sakura staring at him with horrified eyes. Then she blinked, and the spell was broken. Face reddening visibly, she pushed him away furiously to swim into the cavern.

Slightly disconcerted by what had just happened, but realizing that the kunoichi had left the jinchuuriki to sink, Itachi dipped downwards to retrieve their package. Moments later, he was swimming back up with the jinchuuriki, the feel of kunoichi's lips and skin still firmly planted in his mind.

However, it was not long before his discomfiture eased to be replaced by amusement, especially when he recalled her panicked flight. It had only been a simple brush of his lips, nothing more. Surely she knew that it was simply an accident, and that he had not intended to brush his lips over hers. Still, he could admit that he had been tempted to do more, but which red-blooded male wouldn't?

However, it was something that he could explore later, as right now, he had more important things to handle than his strange preoccupation with the kunoichi. With that thought, Itachi proceeded through the entrance with the jinchuuriki, careful to ensure that the boulder returned into its original position.

Moments later, he broke through the surface of the water into an underwater cavern. Moving towards the ledge nearby, he began to push the jinchuuriki up, only to have a small pair of boots appear before his eyes. Without a word, the kunoichi pulled the jinchuuriki out of the water. Not once did she look at him, but there was no mistaking the tension in her posture.

When Itachi was once again standing on dry land, he turned towards her, finding her just as drenched as he was. He attempted to gauge her reaction to the incident earlier, but she was still not looking at him. Instead, her attention was fixed on the jinchuuriki, checking him over. Then she stood up, and to his surprise, she executed a wind jutsu, bringing a gust of warm wind which swirled around them swiftly, rapidly drying their clothes.

Crouching, Itachi brought the jinchuuriki up to his shoulder again. Then, deciding that he should say something to dispel the tension, he turned to her.

"It was an accident."

The kunoichi immediately tensed, and she did not respond immediately. It was only when they began to walk out of the little cavern to head towards the main extraction chamber that the kunoichi finally spoke.

"It's already forgotten. Like you said, it was an accident." Her tone was even.

"Hm."

With that, they continued the rest of their journey in silence.

Pein, Konan and Tobi's projections were already present when they walked into the chamber. Itachi allowed his eyes to land briefly on the statue of the King of Hell as he brought the jinchuuriki to the centre of the chamber.

"You've both done well," Pein said, his projection moving closer to peer down at the jinchuuriki. Then he looked up at them. "Where are Kisame and Deidara?"

"Konoha caught up with us," the kunoichi replied. "Kisame and Deidara are holding them back."

Pein's eyes narrowed slightly. "They interrupted the capture?"

This time, Itachi chose to respond. "No. They arrived afterwards."

"Kisame and Deidara-senpai should be able to deal with them, right?" Tobi piped up.

There it was again, Itachi noted as Pein nodded absently at Tobi's words. Still, he and the kunoichi had done their part and now, they had other things to take care of. _He_ had other things to take care of. Deciding to leave the jinchuuriki for the rest to prepare, Itachi turned to the kunoichi. To his relief, her features displayed none of her earlier discomfiture. Like him, she had obviously decided to focus on their Akatsuki tasks.

"Come."

She gave him an inquiring look.

"We have to replenish our chakra," he replied to her unspoken question.

He could feel Tobi's eyes on his back as he walked away from the centre of the main chamber, but Itachi retained his calm. It was simply not possible for Tobi or anyone else to suspect what he was about to do, and Itachi wished for it to remain that way.

"How exactly are we doing that?" the kunoichi asked, walking beside him.

"You'll see."

Reaching a small alcove at the edge of the chamber, Itachi focused on a black stone next the opening. Gesturing at the groove in the stone, he instructed, "Press your ring in there and you'll allowed entry."

She blinked at him, and then nodded. Lowering her hand, she pressed her ring into the groove. Right before his eyes, she shimmered out of sight. He followed promptly and was soon standing in a dark chamber, illuminated only by the glowing orb seated on a pedestal in the centre of the space. Like the other times, Pein had summoned the orb to this chamber so that they could use it prior to the hachibi extraction.

"This is the same orb as the one from my initiation?" she asked, walking towards it.

"That's correct."

Her eyes widened in comprehension. "I see. It took a lot of chakra out of me during the initiation. So it's giving it back now?"

"Not exactly." Though he was rather impressed by her quick deduction.

She frowned at him impatiently. "Perhaps you'd like to explain."

"It is capable of multiplying what you left there initially, therefore you should be able to replenish your chakra fully."

She stared at the orb with misgiving. He understood her reaction, for the notion of his chakra being kept in such a manner did not sit well with him either. However, it was something which was necessary. And in his case, it was something that assisted in his own plans.

Deciding that it was time to move on, he said, "You will need to form a simple series of seals."

She eyed the orb cautiously before lifting her gaze to him. "You should go first, then I can watch how you do it."

Needing her to leave first, he deliberately goaded, "Are you incapable of following simple instructions?"

Bristling immediately, she snapped, "Fine. Show me the jutsu then."

As always, it never failed to amuse him how she could puff up like an agitated feline each time she felt affronted. Did she not realize that in doing so, she was simply inviting more of the same? Perhaps this was why Kisame enjoyed taunting her so often. Smirking at her response, he lifted his hands and proceeded to go through the seals as he usually did.

Her eyebrow twitched, and then the kunoichi cast him a baleful look. "Mind repeating that? Perhaps at half the speed?" she bit out dryly.

"You are too slow," he taunted blandly.

Her eyes flashed with indignation. "Itachi-san. I do not appreciate being insulted."

"Hm."

Still amused, Itachi displayed the seals slowly this time, ensuring that she took in all the moves. When she nodded at him, he gestured for her to lay her hands on the surface of the orb.

"The same thing will happen, only in reverse this time," he told her.

"I understand."

With that, she formed the seals perfectly and placed both her palms on the smooth rounded surface. Her eyes fluttered shut as she focused her attention on the jutsu. Soon, the orb filled with cloudy red streaks which signified that the commencement of process and the entire chamber begin to vibrate with the strength of the transfer.

As the kunoichi began to replenish her chakra, Itachi glanced around. The chamber was fully shielded from detection so that its presence remained hidden. No one except those within the chamber would know what was happening within it. It was a double-edged sword, for in protecting it in such a manner, Pein was making things simpler for one to exploit its weakness. A weakness that Itachi had every intention of exploiting this very day.

When the vibration around him ceased, Itachi turned to face the kunoichi. With his Sharingan, he could tell that her chakra was fully replenished.

"You'll return first," he instructed as she opened her eyes.

She frowned slightly. "What about you?"

"I'll join you later."

He watched as she hesitated for a mere moment before she nodded. Then, performing a chain of seals, the kunoichi disappeared from the chamber.

Itachi turned back to the orb. It was time for him to commence his plan. With that in mind, he pulled out the blank scroll and bit hit thumb. In seconds, there were slashes of blood-red kanji written all over the scroll.

Knowing that he had prepared all he could, Itachi laid one hand on the orb and the other on the scroll before he proceeded to draw chakra from the orb. His crimson eyes gleamed with satisfaction when his chakra flowed into his body.

While another's chakra flowed past into the scroll.

* * *

A/N: That's it for the battle scenes for a while, you'll be glad to hear, hehe! The hachibi arc will be done soon and the next few chapters will focus more on Itachi and Sakura. As always, please review if you could because I'd like to know what you think of the chapter.

:elle6778:


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thank you so much for the inspiring reviews, guys. A big shout out to: ArjunaAnja, sympatheticassassin, Illidan the Half Demon, Mokulule, Ita-ta, animal.cracker.assassinator, sweet-taboos, TeenageCrisis, dumdeedum, Blueberry Babe, Dark Darianna Minamino, Selene98, kakashisninjadogs, Hao'sAnjul, Kinkatia, SasukeSakuraxXXxItachiSakura, animeismyname, S. T. Nickolian, aznkitty180, Jester08, inexperiencedwriter, weasles 'n cherryblossoms, troublesomefemale, Luka1Sakura, AkatsukiSakura73, Goatis, xxx1xxx, tuffyluffy, sadbird, Anvira, supersillee06, passionate crow rat, j, Faye, MaiomilovesShikamaru, Okami Kyohaku, DemonVampire13, LuckyRika and midnight000shadow.

And here we are with the next chapter. Enjoy…

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 13**

When Sakura reentered the chamber, she found that Akira was still in the same spot in the centre of the cold floor. A flare of chakra caught her attention shortly afterwards, and she turned to find Deidara's projection joining them. The blonde have her a smug smirk before he went towards the projections of Pein, Konan and Tobi.

Her throat suddenly constricted in fear. Had the Konoha ANBU managed to make it through the fight intact?

"Where's Kisame?" Pein asked him.

"He'll be back any time now."

Striving to keep her tone casual, Sakura asked, "So, you've taken care of the ANBU?"

Deidara scowled darkly at her question. "They got away, yeah."

She just barely managed to keep her relief from showing when his words sank in. It was not as if she had no faith in the ANBU's ability, but it was nice to hear the confirmation that they were alright.

"I was _that_ close to an explosive masterpiece when they ran," Deidara grumbled. "Tch! At least they were wounded."

Wounded? How badly? Before she gave in to the urge to ask, the subtle sound of footsteps drew her attention to the entrance, only to find Kisame walking in with his Samehada propped on one shoulder. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the disgruntled expression on his face.

"Surprised you made it back, Shark-Face," she taunted lightly.

"What? You thought your weak Konoha friends can take me down?" he shot back.

She shrugged, feigning ignorance. "So, you're telling me you won?"

"They got away," he growled, baring his teeth in a snarl.

Sakura chuckled.

Tobi waved a hand about. "We need to start soon. Where is Itachi?"

"Replenishing his chakra." After a short pause, Sakura added, "He got delayed teaching me the jutsu. The method wasn't written anywhere in the Akatsuki records."

"It's too risky to record such a thing. Our chakra is at stake, after all," Pein explained.

"Will Sakura-san be trying out her jutsu? The one to speed up the extraction?"

Kisame gave Tobi an odd look. "What jutsu are you talking about?"

"Yeah, what jutsu?" Deidara added.

Sakura blinked in surprise. So Pein had told Tobi but not Kisame or Deidara? How odd. Maybe Tobi had just happened to be there when Pein was discussing it with Konan or something. Unless, of course, there was something else going on behind the scenes. Come to think of it, Tobi could be a little off sometimes. Not to mention she had caught Itachi looking at Tobi strangely more than once.

It was then that Itachi walked back into the main chamber, nodding at Kisame.

The Mist shinobi returned his nod. "I'll be back in a while," he said, heading to the back of the chamber.

His projection dimming, Deidara remarked, "I'd better go too, yeah. My chakra is low."

"Make it quick," Pein instructed with a frown.

Sakura was looking everywhere except at Itachi. The sight of the Uchiha brought back disturbing images of their encounter in the river. Why the hell must his lips land _on hers,_ of all places? Sure Inner Sakura had swooned when she realized what had happened, but it was one hell of an embarrassing incident. He had effectively kissed her. Even though it was by no means her first kiss, the whole thing still rattled her. After all, this was Uchiha Itachi, the last person she had expected to have such contact with.

Flicking a quick glance at him, she noted that he was standing slightly apart from the rest of them, his features displaying nothing of his thoughts. She could not help but wonder what he thought of the entire situation. Oh yes, he declared that it was an accident like nothing had happened at all, she recalled sourly. It must be nice to be completely unaffected by such things.

Lost in her own thoughts, she barely noticed that Kisame and Deidara had rejoined them.

"Sakura?" Pein called out, drawing her from her contemplations. "Now that Kisame and Deidara are here, perhaps you should explain the jutsu."

This was really not the time to think about Itachi, for it was clear that they were to begin soon. From the way they were eyeing her, she knew that the moment had come for her to do her part prior to the extraction process. As she walked towards Akira, she could feel the weight of the Akatsuki's stares upon her back.

"The idea of the jutsu is relatively simple," she began, trying to sound informative while she kept all the more important facts to herself. "The previous extractions took a long time because the jinchuuriki was fighting it. In theory, this jutsu will seal the jinchuuriki's own life-force, preventing it from interfering with the extraction process."

"Sounds good, yeah," Deidara remarked, nodding slowly.

She smiled slightly as she reached into her pouch to withdraw a familiar scroll. A series of seals later, two metal wristbands appeared.

Kneeling down beside the unconscious shinobi, Sakura reached out for his hands and then clamped the two bands around his wrists. For a moment, she simply stared at him. She wished that she did not have to do this to him, even though he had shown no mercy during their fight. He was pale, obviously exhausted from the battle for his life. At that moment, she could not help but think of Naruto. Would this happen to her friend? Her spine stiffened. No, she would not let them get this far with Naruto.

The sound of footsteps behind her made her turn around to find Kisame standing there watching her work on the unconscious shinobi.

"How long will the extraction take with the additional jutsu?" the projection of their leader asked.

"I can't tell for sure, but it should be similar to the one done on the un-hosted bijuu," she explained before turning back to check the bands. "Maybe slightly longer."

"So about one day then," Kisame said. "That's good to know."

Sakura nodded as she trailed her fingers over the inscriptions on the metal bands. For everyone's sake, she really hoped that this jutsu would work. If it did not, she would be responsible for taking the life of this jinchuuriki, this one called Akira.

"What are those bands?" Tobi's projection asked curiously.

Sakura eyed said bands. "The bands will seal the jinchuuriki's own life-force, but not the bijuu's. If it works, the hachibi would be the only thing left in the body, so the extraction process would be easier."

"What if it doesn't work?" Tobi asked once again.

"Then the extraction process should remain the same as was before."

Frowning in consternation, Kisame interjected, "Meaning we'll be stuck here for three days again?"

Konan's projection interjected then. "Likely to be even more. We took three days for Shukaku, so the hachibi should take stronger."

A curse escaped the Mist shinobi's lips.

"Then I really hope it works, yeah," Deidara remarked irritably. "The last one took way too long."

Sakura nodded in agreement. Then taking a deep breath, she raised her hands and performed the necessary seals to lock the jutsu to the bands. It would activate only when the rest of the Akatsuki began the process. With only her own chakra, this jutsu would never be possible. But combined with the rest of the Akatsuki's, there should be more than enough to hold Akira's life-force to the bands.

Standing up, she glanced at the rest of them. "This time, you will use up more chakra and faster because of the extra jutsu."

"It is to be expected," Pein intoned. "Is he prepared?"

Sakura nodded.

"Then let's begin."

Sakura took a deep breath. This was it. Soon she would know if she was responsible for saving the jinchuuriki, or responsible for contributing to his death. Together with the rest, she began the series of complicated seals that she had learnt from Pein some time ago.

"Wait!"

Blinking in surprise at Konan's terse voice, Sakura's hands faltered. Glancing around, she saw the rest doing the same.

"What is the matter, Konan?" Pein asked, looking a little annoyed.

"There are Leaf-nins headed this way. My paper clones detected their presence a few miles from here."

Deidara frowned. "Again?!"

Sakura immediately clamped down the urge to cheer as her heart fluttered in hope. There were more of them coming and this time, maybe they interrupt the extraction.

"How many of them?" Pein asked.

"One team of four," Konan replied. "No masks, so they're not ANBU."

"Is the Copy-Ninja there?" Deidara asked.

"The team has two males and two females, but none of them looks like the Copy-Ninja."

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Sakura, you just left Konoha. Who are they?"

Sakura felt her blood run cold, but forced herself not to react outwardly. Wracking her mind to think of a way not to betray Konoha, she hedged, "There are a few possibilities."

"One of the males is traveling with a large white dog," Konan elaborated.

Closing her eyes, Sakura pretended to think. There was no way she could get out of answering this. The Akatsuki was not stupid. They would be able to figure out from the relative ages that she was probably from the same Academy intake as the approaching Konoha team. If she said she did not know, then her position in the Akatsuki would be compromised. But if she told them, then she would be betraying Konoha. What should she do?

"Sakura?" Pein prompted, sounding impatient.

"I remember," she finally said, her decision made. It did not matter what she said to them, so long as she did not divulge the Konoha team's weaknesses. "It must be Team Kurenai."

"Kurenai specializes in genjutsu," Itachi supplied. "But she shouldn't be a problem."

"And the rest?" Tobi asked, his tone slightly harder than Sakura had ever heard.

"The girl is a Hyuuga, so her Byakugan is something to be reckoned with," Sakura replied, forcing herself to sound casual. "One of the males excels in combination attacks with the dog. And the last one is a bug user."

"The Byakugan might be a problem, yeah," Deidara remarked. "What level is she?"

Sakura frowned. "When I left, she and the one with the dog were still chuunins. The bug user is a jounin." She did not lie, as such. Hinata and Kiba had been chuunins when she left, but she knew that they had been training for the jounin exams then, so by now, all of them should be jounins. It would be best if the Akatsuki underestimated them.

Tobi piped up then. "One mixed team. So Deidara-senpai could blow them up easily, right?"

Deidara smirked. "Hell, yeah."

Pein nodded, and then turned to Kisame. "You two will handle them. But I'll need your chakra for the sacrifices."

Baring his jagged teeth, Kisame replied, "Not a problem. How much chakra do you need this time?"

"Sakura, how much is your jutsu using up?" Pein asked.

Knowing that there was an opportunity to help her Konoha friends, Sakura gave him an overestimate. "The jinchuuriki's own chakra is substantial, so I'd say about one and a half time of Kisame's."

Pein nodded. "Kisame, I'll take a quarter of your chakra. Deidara, I need one-third from you. Konan, you have the sacrifices prepared?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Closing his eyes, Pein seemed to withdraw. Sakura knew that he was now focusing on his corporeal body to performed the necessary jutsu to embed Deidara's and Kisame's chakra into the shapeshifted sacrifices. After all, it was the same thing they had done when Gaara had been captured.

Not long afterwards, Pein opened his eyes. "It is done."

"Shall we begin now?" Tobi asked, sounding a little impatient.

Used to Tobi's perpetual cheeriness, Sakura blinked in surprise at the masked shinobi's uncharacteristic tone. Once again, her thoughts about Tobi being a little off resurfaced. Before she could deliberate further, Pein gestured for them to begin.

Sakura raised her hands to continue the Genryuu Kyuu Fuujin technique. The entire chamber began to vibrate with the increased energy as the seven of them directed their chakra towards the statue and the jinchuuriki. Sakura's eyes were riveted to the bands around Akira's wrist, noting with relief when it began to glow light blue. His life-force was reacting to her jutsu as it should.

A loud growl from the statue drew her attention upwards. She saw the binding around the mouth of the King of Hell statue unraveling slowly, releasing the projection of blue dragons that swept straight towards the jinchuuriki.

Akira's body jerked as the dragons reached him, lifting him into the air.

Sakura had to bite back a moan of distress when the jinchuuriki's eyes snapped open as he released a shrill scream. She could not even begin to imagine the amount of pain he was under, being torn apart like that, the hachibi going straight to the statue, while his life-force into those bands.

But there was nothing she could do about it now. She had done all she could and she just had to wait and see if it worked. Closing her eyes, she continued to focus her chakra, willing herself not to betray her emotions to the rest of the Akatsuki. The jinchuuriki's screams continued, and Sakura wished fervently that she could block out the sound.

Not long afterwards, Pein called out, "Kisame, Deidara, Konan. What is happening out there?"

Sakura's eyes snapped open.

Deidara's projection lifted his lids. Then his brows furrowed in annoyance. "A backup ANBU team turned up and there's another Hyuuga in ANBU. A male this time."

The male ANBU must be Neji. Sakura swallowed hard, uncertain if she should be happy or be worried. Neji was one of Konoha's top ANBU captain, so he should be able to handle things. She had to trust that Tsunade knew what she was doing in sending those teams.

"Why don't you just blow him up, Deidara-senpai?" Tobi suggested blithely. "That's what you always do."

Sakura forced herself not to react to the threat to her friend. The thought of them being blown up by Deidara was just… sick. The Konoha teams_had_ to get through this battle intact.

"He can see every little thing I do, yeah!" Deidara snapped irritably. "Just leave it with me. I'll make sure they're distracted long enough for the extraction to finish."

Pein nodded. "Very well. Your report, Konan?"

"I'm having the same problem as Deidara with the Hyuuga kunoichi but Kisame is helping."

"Just delay them then," Pein ground out.

"I will."

And once again, all of them sank into silence while they focused on the extraction.

As the hours passed, the sounds of distress emitted by the jinchuuriki grew progressively louder, sending shudders up Sakura's spine as the extraction process intensified. She gritted her teeth, unsuccessfully trying to blank out the hair-raising cries of the jinchuuriki in front of her. They had been there for almost half a day, and the pure agony the jinchuuriki was emanating was beginning to get to her.

She wanted nothing more than to stop, to release her hand seal and break the extraction process.

If she did that, the jinchuuriki would definitely survive, but for how long? The other six Akatsuki members would not let it happen. Not to mention something like that would surely blow her cover. She could not afford to do so just yet. From what she could tell, Konoha was nowhere near able to take the Akatsuki down. And she knew that they could only do so once they knew where each and every Akatsuki member was at a certain point in time. Which was hard to do because apart from her initiation, all seven of them had not been together since. They had only met like this, where some of them were merely projections.

Sakura swept her eyes over the other six Akatsuki perched on the tips of the statue's fingers. How could they stand going through this? How could they go through this for the eighth time without any expression of remorse on their faces? None of them seemed to care, or looked as if they even heard the howls of pain from the jinchuuriki. The expressions on their faces displayed nothing but full intent on finishing the extraction process.

Not able to bear to look at them anymore, she wrenched her eyes away. In her mind, she knew that this was by no means the worst thing they had carried out for the organization. But some part of her could not really reconcile these cold individuals with the teammates she had worked with for the past three months or so. She had seen their human side, the side she could understand, the side which in some ways, she had accepted.

Sometimes it was so easy to forget that they were meant to be enemies. These were the people she had to fight against at the end of her mission. These were the people she was trying to stop. Since when did she begin to see them as more?

Her breath hitched as her heart twisted painfully.

She was such a fool.

She was such a fool for treating Kisame like a friendly rival, someone she enjoyed pushing and getting pushed back so that they could mutually improve.

She was such fool for treating Tobi and Deidara like an annoying little brothers who always needed to be told off and patched up.

She was even more of a fool for admiring Itachi, the man who had slain his entire clan bar one. Yes, while she was honest with herself, she might as well just admit that she admired his strength, skills and his composed response to everything he faced. She would also admit that out of all the male shinobi in her life, he fell amongst those she found attractive.

Somewhere along the line, although she had remained loyal to Konoha and her mission, she had somehow developed a liking for her four Akatsuki teammates. It was a stupid thing to do, because the success of her mission would mean that whatever bonds they have formed would be shattered into pieces. And since she had no intention of failing her mission, it meant that she was setting herself up for a great deal of pain.

Her thoughts were broken when the jinchuuriki screamed again, his back arching up as the bijuu's life-force and chakra were sucked out of him into the statue. It was painful to watch. But at the end of this, he would be alive, right? With her jutsu, the jinchuuriki would be free of the hachibi and would be able to live a normal life.

So Sakura closed her eyes, hoping that the guilt within her would ease.

But it did not.

* * *

Itachi allowed his eyes to rest on the figure of the kunoichi beside Kisame. It did not escape him that she would cast frequent glances at the jinchuuriki, her expression grim. Something appeared to be on her mind, even though her chakra flow was steady. Was she was thinking about her kyuubi friend? Or perhaps she concerned about her jutsu?

His eyes shifted to the bands around the jinchuuriki's wrists. Unlike the yellow chakra which was being sucked into the statue, the bands were glowing light blue with the jinchuuriki's own chakra and life-force. It did appear as if her jutsu was working, seeing that he barely felt any resistance in the extraction process this time round.

It might be beneficial for him to investigate this particular jutsu further. One would think that the kunoichi's usual willingness to talk would aid in the task, but Itachi knew her well enough to understand that this jutsu was something she would not divulge freely to anyone. It would take time and effort for him to obtain the information.

Shelving the idea to the back of his mind, Itachi returned his attention to the extraction process. It was fortunate that Kisame, Deidara and Konan had been able to drive back the Konoha teams. Even though there were survivors, the Leaf nins had been too injured to continue fighting. Therefore, the extraction progressed without interruption.

They had been there for almost one day, and Itachi knew that the extraction would be completed shortly. And when it did, they would all disperse. That would be the perfect time for him to further his own goals.

Gradually, the draw on his chakra began to recede, telling him that it was over. Itachi watched the summoned statue expectantly, and was not disappointed when another eye opened.

The extraction was a success.

"It's done," Pein declared, dropping his arms to his side as the rest of them did the same.

"Another successful extraction," Tobi agreed cheerfully.

Itachi smirked inwardly as he jumped off to land on solid ground. Tobi would not be so pleased if he knew what this extraction meant for him.

A stretching Deidara muttered, "It's about time, yeah."

"At least this time round, it was much shorter," Kisame remarked as he jumped off the statue's finger. "Thanks to the kunoichi's jutsu."

Itachi stared impassively down at the motionless jinchuuriki, taking note of the wristbands which glowed blue with streaks of yellow. All that was left of the body was a chakra-less shell. Was he dead?

A movement close to him drew his attention. Sakura had just leapt down from the statue's little finger to make her way swiftly to the shinobi. Kneeling beside the body, she laid her fingers on the brown-haired shinobi's neck.

"Sakura?" Deidara called out questioningly. "What are you doing, yeah?"

Ignoring the blonde, she glanced over her shoulders at their leader. "Are we done with him?"

Anyone would have missed the flash of suspicion in Pein's eyes, but Itachi did not. Their leader seemed to be contemplating something to do with the kunoichi. However, when Pein finally spoke, his voice was level. "He is no longer needed."

The kunoichi nodded. "Can I try something on him then? Something for the research?"

"You better not try anything that would undo our work, yeah," Deidara warned, scowling darkly. "I don't want to spend another day wasting chakra."

Her lips tilted in a smirk. "Nothing like that. The bijuu is no longer inside him."

"Since we're done here, I'm going to dismiss the summon. Sakura, you may remain to do whatever you wish to the body," Pein declared before turning around. "We'll meet again in two weeks. I'll contact you with the location. In the meantime, lay low."

Nodding in unison, Deidara, Tobi and Konan faded out. A heavy rumble echoed through the chamber as the statue began to shimmer out of sight as it was dismissed, followed closely by Pein.

Silence descended upon the three of them. Itachi allowed his gaze to travel to the kunoichi. Somewhat curious about her so-called research, he approached her. What could she possibly wish to do with the jinchuuriki's body?

Kisame joined him in watching the kunoichi. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just watch," she said as she turned her attention to the body.

Shifting into position, she laid her hands on each of the wristbands. Itachi watched as her hands began to glow with her own chakra, and then to his surprise, the blue chakra streaked with yellow began to fluctuate. Slowly but surely, the jinchuuriki's chakra began to creep out of the wristband to spread up his arms. It appeared that the chakra was heading towards his heart.

"Is that just chakra?" Kisame asked.

Without turning away from her 'patient', Sakura replied absently, "No. His life-force is in there as well."

Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"You're reviving the jinchuuriki?" Kisame asked incredulously.

Her attention still fixed to the body, Sakura did not answer. Wondering the same thing, Itachi exchanged a silent look with Kisame before turning back to the situation before him. The chakra was now pulsing in an area over the jinchuuriki's heart. Itachi did not see the point in reviving the jinchuuriki. After all, without the power of the bijuu, he would surely be much weaker. Possibly too weak to get himself out of this place.

So why did she bother?

After a while, Sakura released her hold. The wristbands no longer glowed. Instead, the entirety of the jinchuuriki's body was enveloped by the blue-yellow light. But still, there was nothing to indicate that he was alive. A quick glance towards the kunoichi told Itachi that she was disappointed, and perhaps slightly confused at the outcome.

Kisame grunted, "Not working, is it?"

"I don't know what's wrong," she mumbled as she pressed on various parts of the body.

"Come," Itachi said, deciding that he had seen enough of her pointless undertaking. "We must leave."

"Wait," she muttered absently as her fingers ran up his body. Wearing a look of intense concentration, she pressed her glowing palms onto his chest.

Growing impatient at her refusal to obey, Itachi debated whether he should simply leave her there. Their business with the jinchuuriki was completed and there was no reason for them to linger. It was an unnecessary waste of time.

"Sakura-san." His voice carried a note of warning.

"I said, WAIT!" she snapped forcefully without looking at him.

Taken aback by her vehemence, Itachi was struck dumb momentarily. Then he frowned, displeased by the tone she had used. It was clear that she was anxious about the situation, but why did she care if the jinchuuriki lived or not? He understood her reasoning when it came to her friends' injuries, even though he disagreed with her principle, but this was ridiculous. The jinchuuriki was a stranger. One which she had not met prior to yesterday.

And yet, Itachi finally chose to remain waiting beside Kisame, who seemed content to wait.

"Come on…" the kunoichi hissed urgently.

Then she sucked in a sharp breath, causing Itachi to follow the direction of her gaze. As he watched, the jinchuuriki's head moved of its own volition. Then his fingers twitched and a soft groan escaped from his lips as his eyelids fluttered.

Itachi blinked in surprise at the sight. So, she truly managed to revive the jinchuuriki. He knew that she was skilled, but her medical skills must be exceptional if she was capable of such a feat. In addition to that, her battle skills were on par with Kisame's, which made her a truly formidable shinobi.

She stood up then, her expression awash with satisfaction. It was clear that she was proud of her achievement. When she turned to him, there was no longer any signs of tension in her body. Instead, she appeared to be fully relaxed, a complete turnaround from her previous demeanor.

An odd, unidentifiable feeling emerged in his chest.

"Let's go," she declared.

"Heh! Finally," Kisame barked. "I was beginning to think that you're waiting for Konoha to send another team to catch up with us."

The kunoichi rolled her eyes. "As if. I'm not bloodthirsty like you, Shark-Face."

"How many times must I say this? I have a name, kunoichi," Kisame spat.

She planted her hands on her hips before she retorted, "I seem to remember that I have one too… _Shark-Face_."

Itachi closed his eyes. They were truly testing his patience. It was almost as if they were attempting to make up for all the bickering they had missed over the last week or so.

Kisame snorted. "Except for the pink color, that flowery name hardly suits someone as violent as you."

"What did you say?!" she snarled, taking a step towards him, raising her fist. "I'll show you violent!"

"Oh? Show me what you got then, you little hellcat!"

"Enough," Itachi bit out stonily.

Both of them spun towards him, looking startled. Without another word, Itachi strode out of the chamber, leaving them to follow him. The kunoichi was a bad influence on the Mist shinobi. Kisame had never succumbed to these types of bickering before.

However entertaining it was at times, Itachi was simply not in the mind frame to be amused today.

* * *

Itachi had told her that it would take almost two days for them to arrive at their hideout in an unnamed island to the west of Tea Country. When they had crossed back into Wind Country yesterday, Sakura had been a little anxious that they might bump into more Suna ANBU, but thankfully they had encountered nothing of that sort.

Now, standing at the side of the boat one day later, staring at the unfamiliar strip of land before her, Sakura just hoped that someone, Konoha preferably, had found the jinchuuriki. He was too weak to make it far by himself. With Konoha's help, he would be able to recover fully.

She was ecstatic that the jutsu had worked. The jinchuuriki would now survive, even without the hachibi within his body. For a moment back there, she had thought that she had lost Akira, even after his life-force had traveled back to his body. But all he had needed was a bit of a push for his heart to start beating on his own.

What surprised her most was the fact that the jinchuuriki's chakra had actually merged with some of the hachibi's chakra. There was no mistaking the yellow strands amongst the blue chakra. Could it be that the jinchuuriki had retained some of the hachibi's power? Sakura sighed when she realized that she would never know. But maybe if the jinchuuriki had been taken in by Konoha, Tsunade would be able to perform some tests.

The bad thing about this entire situation was that Akatsuki would now go after Naruto. He was the only one left, after all. Still, now that she knew that the jutsu worked, she could take comfort in that fact that Naruto would survive the extraction.

Not that she had any intention of letting it go that far. They needed to stop Akatsuki before they reached that point. She needed to find out when they would all be together so that Konoha could launch an attack and take them all down at once. Shikamaru's plan had to work, or else she would have wasted almost two years of her life.

A subtle sound drew her attention away from the island and she turned to find Kisame standing beside her. The Mist shinobi was staring at the island, seemingly lost in memory. The fact that Kisame was here meant that Itachi was steering the boat.

"You've been here before?" she ventured.

"Yeah. But it has been a while."

Brows raising in curiosity, Sakura asked, "This base has been used by the Akatsuki for a long time then?"

For a moment, Sakura could almost swear that she saw a hint of wistfulness in those black eyes of his. And then it was gone and the Mist shinobi smirked.

"This island used to belong to a comrade from Mist."

"Is he going to be there?"

"He's dead," Kisame replied in a gruff tone.

Sakura blinked. "Oh." After a short pause, she decided to press her luck. "So, what happened to him?"

This time, he turned to face her. "What do you know about the Hidden Village of Mist's training regime?"

Her eyes widened in comprehension when she recalled Team 7's fight with Zabuza years ago. Teammates were pitted against each other in a fight to their death as a part of their graduation requirements.

She took a guess. "You killed him."

His eyes shifted back to the island. "Yeah, I did."

They fell into silence then, and Sakura realized that as short as it was, it was the first conversation she had with Kisame without them throwing insults at each other. The thought of it made her smile slightly.

Soon, the base of the boat was scraping against sand. By then, the sun had begun to set.

Once they secured the boat in the boathouse, they made their way through the dense growth which separated the land from the sea. The building which loomed ahead was constructed from stone, and although it was not very big, it was more than enough to house them. Minimal conversation flowed between them as they made their way through the house to the bedrooms, their footsteps barely making any sound on the wooden floor. All of them were exhausted from the extraction and the journey.

Gesturing at the two rooms at the end of the hallway, Kisame told her, "Those are empty."

She nodded. "Where's the bathroom? I need to clean up."

Itachi inclined his head to the door opposite his room. "In there."

Tiredly, Sakura went into the first room she came to and began to strip off the dust sheets. After dropping her belongings and retrieving the necessary items, she went to take her much-needed bath.

A short while later, she was back in her bedroom, dressed in clean clothes while she hung the just-washed ones over the back of a chair next to the window. The inky darkness of the sky outside caught her attention then, as well as the soothing sound of waves crashing upon the shoreline.

The weather was nice enough for her to sit outside for a while.

Deciding that she should give in to the temptation, Sakura walked out of the house and made her way towards the beach.

* * *

Itachi frowned slightly as he toweled himself dry in the bathroom. He could still smell Sakura's lingering scent, even though she had finished with the bathroom more than half an hour ago. Unbidden, the memory the feel of her skin against his came to mind.

Itachi grimaced. His growing preoccupation and awareness of the kunoichi did not escape his notice. Each time he managed to dispel her from his thoughts, some ridiculous incident would occur to remind him of her presence.

It was strangely unsettling.

Brushing aside those thoughts, he quickly finished dressing. Flinging the damp towel on the rail, Itachi made his way back to his bedroom. A flickering light outside the window caught his attention then, and he stepped closer for a better look.

To his surprise, he found the shadows of a small form seated before a fire on the beach. The kunoichi was alone, staring out at the sea.

Itachi did now know what compelled him to do so, but he soon found himself walking down to the beach.

Clad in her Akatsuki cloak, Sakura was seated on the sand, resting against a large felled tree trunk. The fire cast odd shadows upon her, and her pink-haired reflected the flames. Without conscious thought, his feet brought him to her side. When he glanced down at her, he noted that her eyes were close, but he suspected that she was not asleep.

His suspicion was confirmed when she spoke. "You don't have to stand there, you know. You can sit."

Deciding to do exactly that, Itachi settled himself on the sand as she had done, leaving a respectable gap between them. The fire drew his attention, and he was content to study the flickering flames for a while. Then his eyes shifted to the shore. There was nothing much to see in the darkness except for the white foam breaking against the sand.

Vague thoughts of what brought them here reminded him of something he had meant to ask the kunoichi.

"It was an interesting jutsu," he began, fully expecting her to query him further.

Brows furrowing slightly as she shifted to face him, she asked, "What jutsu?"

"The one used to separate the jinchuuriki from the bijuu."

"Oh." She swiveled back to stare at the ocean. "It was made up of modified versions of several known fuuinjutsu."

Sealing techniques, Itachi acknowledged with a nod. "It was… remarkable."

She snapped back to him, her eyes wide. "I can't believe it. Are you actually… complimenting me, Itachi-san?"

A small smirk crossed his lips. "Perhaps."

Then a knowing look appeared across her features. "Let me guess. You want to know how it works." Her tone was flat.

"Perhaps."

With a huff, she shook her head. "Do you really think I'm going to hand over a jutsu to you just like that?"

It was clear that she had no intention of doing so. Knowing that it was pointless to press her now, Itachi decided that he should pursue it another time. He had not expected her to divulge the secret jutsu so soon in any case. Knowing that it was best to catch her off guard, he decided to shift the topic.

"Why did you revive the jinchuuriki?"

She shrugged. "Why not? The theory was there, so I just wanted to see if it could really work in practice."

"Is that all?"

"What's wrong with that? And anyway, now that he no longer has the bijuu in him, maybe he can live a normal life."

"Normal?"

She nodded. "Well, he got a few friends, but he's not like Naruto or Gaara. Those two kind of managed to get past the stigma of having a demon inside them, you know. So now that the hachibi is gone, Akira can be accepted for himself."

The direction of this conversation reminded him of his unwanted flash of the past. Scooping up a handful of sand, Itachi slowly let the grains filter down between his fingers as he mulled over her words.

"It's impossible," he declared quietly.

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously, shuffling closer to him.

"He spent his entire life isolated. That is all he knows."

She frowned thoughtfully. "But things change. People can change. He will get used to his new life," she insisted.

"It isn't simple to shed the skin one has created over the years."

"I always believe that if you try hard enough, anything is possible."

How could she still be so naïve, after being a missing-nin for so long? "Sakura-san, you are very hopeful."

For a moment, she simply stared at him. Then her lips quirked. "Well, it's better to be optimistic rather than jaded, I think."

"Hm."

They fell into silence then. Idly, Itachi noted that it had been some time since he felt so comfortable in someone else's presence.

A gentle weight suddenly settled against his side.

He glanced down sharply to find that the kunoichi's head had fallen on his shoulder. She was fast asleep. It was hardly surprising, considering that she had remained awake most of the time over the last few days, sustaining herself only with soldier pills. It was inevitable that she would crash at some point.

He finally decided to let her be. After all,when he needed to move, he would simply push her off.

* * *

Sakura woke up to the rhythmic sound of waves washing on the shore. She must have fallen asleep on the beach, she noted absently. The scent of sea mixed with something she could not identify invaded her nostrils and she inhaled deeply to take in more of it. It was a nice scent, and it was somewhat familiar. Wanting to savor the languid feeling enveloping her, she kept her eyes closed and then snuggled closer into the warmth.

Warmth?

What warmth?

Images of last night came back to her and she finally recognized the source of the warmth.

She froze instantly.

Itachi.

She dared not open her eyes, but she knew that she could not remain like that forever. So she lifted one lid, only to stare sight into an imprint of a red cloud. Her single-eyed gaze traveled around frantically and she groaned inwardly at what she saw.

They were both resting against the tree trunk, but somehow, she had managed to cuddle up to Itachi, burying her forehead in his neck while her arm draped over his hips. One of her legs was thrown over him, trapped between his thighs from knee down. And if she was not mistaken, the warm band crossing her back to end at her waist was his arm.

Oh hell, how did they get into such an embarrassing… compromising position? Again!

And more importantly, why did Itachi not push her away?

Alright, Sakura, calm down, she told herself. Deep breaths. She needed to think of the least traumatizing way to extricate herself from this position. Unfortunately, there was no way she could move without waking Itachi up. So whatever it was she decided to do, Itachi would be a witness to it. How would Itachi react to seeing her cuddled against him?

She could just imagine it. His eyes would narrow just slightly before his lips tilted slightly to convey his amusement at the situation. That insufferable man always seemed to find it amusing each time she made a fool out of herself.

Sakura cringed inwardly.

'You have to admit that he's nice to sleep against.'

Sakura almost groaned out loud when she heard Inner Sakura's unwanted voice. No, this was not the time for her to appear. Then, as if to mock her, Inner Sakura began to sigh deeply.

'Why move? Can't you feel how warm he is? Or how nice he smells?'

Sakura suppressed the urge to scream. She just needed to find a way out of this mess, and Inner Sakura was not helping as usual.

'Remember how soft his lips were? Maybe you should wake him up with a steamy good morning kiss… Do justice to those lips, you know?'

"NO!"

"Is something the matter?" a sleep-husked voice drawled.

Oh, no! She had just yelled out loud, hadn't she? Pretending to be asleep would not help anymore at this point. Biting her lips, Sakura slowly tilted her eyes up, her entire body frozen in place.

Their eyes locked, and her breath suspended in her chest. For a long while, she could only stare at the odd flicker in his sleep-glazed onyx eyes. Face still bearing traces of his slumber, Sakura could not help but notice once again just how terribly attractive he was.

Inner Sakura's words came back to haunt her, and unconsciously, her gaze fell to his mouth. They were so close that all she had to do was to move forward and tilt her head up. It was not hard to imagine kissing him.

In fact, it was terrifyingly easy.

She licked her lips nervously, her entire body tense as her gaze shot up to his eyes, anxious that he might have somehow managed to discern her thoughts.

At first, he only blinked slowly. And then her anxiety increased tenfold when his eyes lowered… to her lips. She immediately gulped. There was no mistaking the molten heat in his expression as his face came closer, so close that their breath mingled.

Sakura's throat went dry as a shiver ran through her.

* * *

A/N: Any guesses as to what might happen next? Ah, you'll find out next week anyway :grins:. But in the meantime, please review if you could and let me know your thoughts about this chapter.

:elle6778:


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: First of all, many thanks to Imanewme for proofing this chapter. The help is greatly appreciated. Thanks to her, this story is one day early, lol. And next, thank you for all the wonderful reviews you all left me. So big hugs to: Kinkatia, ArjunaAnja, Goatis, dumdeedum, DevilsAnimeAngel, Sesshomaru20, Jester08, animal.cracker.assassinator, PodRacingprincess, AkatsukiSakura73, supersillee06, Dark Darianna Minamino, S. T. Nickolian, SweetAssassin, MiMi, Blueberry Babe, crystal teardrops, Nara Merald, GaaraFreak, Hao'sAnjul, SparklyTea, Reimei Hoshi, maila89, belle, Ita-ta, aznkitty180, Luka1Sakura, animeismyname, Mokulule, weasles 'n cherryblossoms, nekokigin, Passionate Crow Rat, iLilPiggYyAaiLove, troublesomefemale, MaiomilovesShikamaru, Assassinator.Bunny, Anvira, CrystalHeart27 and ironidji. 

And here's the next installment to this story…

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 14**

Sakura's throat went dry as a shiver ran through her.

He couldn't…

He couldn't be thinking of…

Her breath suspended in her chest, Sakura found herself completely locked in his eyes as the concept of time slowly lost its meaning. She knew that she had to do something, but she was hard-pressed to think of what it could be. So she continued to stare. 

Itachi's eyes flickered then, and Sakura thought she could see a hint of annoyance in them. And then the annoyance was gone, to be replaced by his usual unreadable expression. 

"Is there something you require, Sakura-san?"

The question was delivered in his usual smooth tones, with an unmistakable undertone of amusement, but took her a few seconds to digest his words.

Then panic slammed through her, jolting her out of her stupor. Sakura instantly jerked away from him, tumbling backwards onto her hands in her rush. Her fingers dug into the cool sand as she tried to catch her breath, her eyes not leaving his. The heat in her cheeks told her that she was blushing. 

He only regarded her with that unnervingly indecipherable expression of his, but this time, his Sharingan was activated. His quirked brow reminded her that she had yet to respond to his question.

Jumping to her feet abruptly, she replied in a strained voice, "No. Nothing."

"Hm."

Feeling acutely uncomfortable, Sakura forced out, "Well, I'm planning to catch up on some training today. So I'd better start. Now."

"Hm."

With that, she sprinted madly to the other end of the beach, all the while sensing Itachi's eyes boring into her back. She knew what it looked like. So what if he thought that she was running away from him? It was true, wasn't it? She was really running away from him.

But maybe she was just overreacting. Maybe he was not going to kiss her and it was just a figment of her imagination.

But his lips had been so precariously close. And what was worse was the fact that she had almost, almost, given in. Was she truly attracted to him in that way? But why? She could not have picked a worse person to have this type of attraction towards, even though the most it could be was just a crush. She was used to crushes, right? After all, she had a bad one on Sasuke, followed by a tiny one on Naruto, and even on Kakashi a few years ago. If she had remained in Konoha, who knew who else would she have a crush on?

Sakura closed her eyes and let out a groan. This was an impossible situation. But like all crushes, it would go away, right? If she ignored it, it would definitely go away. So there was really nothing for her to be worried about.

Stopping finally when she reached the high rocky cliff at the end of the beach, she forcefully pushed the entire incident to the back of her mind, vowing not to think about it. Entire posture set in determination, Sakura began to go through a set of exercise, trying to blank her thoughts out. 

Once done with the basic moves, she decided to move on to improving her wind jutsu, intent on keeping her words to Kakashi. It would be nice to show her sensei that she managed to develop the jutsu into something more. 

Almost involuntarily, Sakura glanced backwards. The tiny spot in the distance told her that Itachi had not moved from the spot where she had left him. But now she could see that Kisame had joined him. She felt a little uncomfortable by the fact that Itachi and Kisame were there, even though it did not seem as if they was watching her. After all, this jutsu she was practicing was supposed to be one of her surprise attacks, something she kept up her sleeves for emergencies. 

Trying to ignore Itachi, she slowly tested out a few wind seal combinations. It was for the wind jutsu she had been attempting to improve. However, luck was not on her side. It looked as if the wind was going to continue hitting only that narrow target area because of the nature of the spikes. If she could get the wind to spread out a little, it should work. But it was easier said than done. Each time she tried it, the attack range was too short to be of any use. 

Then she remembered a jutsu she had seen recently. Itachi was the one who had performed it.

Subtly, she glanced out of the corner of her eyes. 

Itachi was still back there.

Did she dare to walk back there to ask him?

* * *

The Mist shinobi had joined him shortly after the kunoichi's abrupt departure. For a long while, they had simply observed the kunoichi as she began her session. Then Kisame broke the silence.

"What the hell is she doing?" he asked. 

Itachi did not remove his eyes from the kunoichi. "Training."

"Too early for all that," Kisame muttered gruffly as he stared at the kunoichi at the other end of the beach.

"Hm," he responded absently, his attention focused on her movements.

There had always been a certain traditional view towards shinobi skills.

There were shinobi who were born with certain advantages in terms of skills, and there were those who were just average. If the more advantageous ones chose to hone their skills to perfection, then those shinobi would easily excel in their field. Those without the so-called advantages may decide to hone whatever skills they possessed, but it would not always be enough.

Itachi was not certain which category the kunoichi fell in.

From what he could tell, she possessed no bloodline limit. In fact, he could not recall a shinobi clan by the name of Haruno, which suggested that she might be from civilian stock, though it did not necessarily mean that she was an inferior shinobi. After all, it was the individual who mattered, not the clan.

Itachi allowed his eyes to follow the kunoichi's movements as she performed yet another seal, varying it slightly from the one before. She was obviously gifted, because unlike normal shinobi who trained with an established set of jutsu, this kunoichi was attempting to modify a known jutsu, if not create something of her own. This was obviously the norm for her, considering that she had done the same to the extraction jutsu. 

What surprised him most was that her method of practice was eerily similar to his own, particularly in the earlier days. A number of his jutsu was unique to him and no one else, a result of years of work.

Perhaps this was the answer to the question which had occasionally presented itself to him recently. Perhaps this was the underlying reason for his awareness of her. That he noticed her because she was different from the general shinobi populace.

His brows furrowed in consternation. He had only begun to acknowledge this awareness during the week they had been on the fund collection missions, in particular, after she had landed on his lap. From what he could tell, the strength of this affliction was only increasing. And just a few days ago, his response when he had accidentally brushed his lips against hers was enough to confirm the fact.

He was hard-pressed to explain the oddity of the situation. His lack of female companionship could not be the reason for his reactions, for he refused to believe that he was that shallow, therefore it must be something else. And yet, he could not pinpoint what it was.

These occurrences were no longer as amusing as it had once been. It was growing to be rather unsettling.

What was more unsettling was the fact that he had allowed himself to truly fall asleep beside her. Perhaps it could be attributed to the state of his body after the extraction process. His chakra had been low after the technique and two days without sleep must have affected him to a certain extent. 

He should have pushed her off when he had woken up to find her snuggling against him. Instead, he had simply remained still, almost basking in her comforting warmth and her decidedly female scent. It was puzzling, to say the least. He did not crave that sort of comfort, or any other useless emotion like that. The only form of comfort he ever sought out on occasion, like any other healthy male shinobi, was the type he could only get from a willing female's body.

Was he considering Sakura as such a female?

He smirked at the thought of Sakura's probable response to this. She would most likely be outraged by the notion, even though her past actions had proven to him that she was clearly attracted to him. After all, she had almost kissed him once in the cave almost a week ago.

The way he had almost kissed her this morning.

It had not been an accident. He had every intention of kissing her until the subtle signs of Kisame's approach stilled him. But now that he thought about it, Itachi did not know what had possessed him to do so. If Sakura had not jumped away like a frightened kitten, he was certain that he would have tasted her lips. In fact, he was mildly aggravated that he had not succeeded in doing so.

However, it occurred to him that perhaps he should cease to entertain these thoughts. The kunoichi was his partner after all, and any awkwardness could be detrimental to their working relations. 

Deciding that he should return to the building, Itachi stood up. It was then that he noticed the kunoichi walking back from her end of the beach, looking somewhat tense. She appeared to be heading straight for him.

So he waited.

When she reached him, his gaze immediately went to the slight redness tinting her cheeks, telling him that she was still uncomfortable about what had almost happened earlier. Idly, he wondered how she would react if he made another attempt.

"Itachi-san." Her tone was painfully formal.

He raised an inquiring brow at her, not missing the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

"I need a favor." She paused briefly before continuing, "If you don't mind, can you teach me the wind jutsu you used when you were fighting Suna's ANBU?"

Her request was certainly unexpected. "A wind jutsu?"

She nodded. 

"Describe it."

"It was like a big gust of wind."

Itachi immediately knew which jutsu she was referring to. It was the one he had copied from Pein. "Fuuton: Reppushou."

"Must be that one then."

He regarded her silently as he mulled over her request. It was not his habit to impart techniques to others. In fact, any shinobi would be foolish to do so. However…

She must have sensed his reluctance, for her expression sank almost imperceptibly. "Come to think of it, it's okay. Don't worry about it, Itachi-san."

"I agree on one condition."

A wary look entered her eyes. "What condition?"

"Fuuton: Reppushou in exchange for your extraction jutsu."

Her eyes rounded. "What!"

He simply waited as she fell into a contemplative silence. What he had seen of her session earlier now made sense. The kunoichi was missing one crucial jutsu to manipulate. So, just how eager was she to learn the wind jutsu? 

Much to his surprise, her eyes took on an odd gleam and all signs of her earlier discomfort disappeared.

"Itachi-san. I'm not stupid."

"I never implied as such."

"Then you should never have offered such an exchange. Your wind jutsu is a B-ranked ninjutsu at the most, while my sealing jutsu is an A-ranked fuuinjutsu." She smirked as she shook her head. "That's hardly fair, is it?"

"Hm." 

Itachi kept his expression impassive, hiding his amusement. So, the kunoichi wished to negotiate, did she? He should have expected it, considering her reputation with money. However, she had not rejected the notion outright. 

"Perhaps another B-ranked ninjutsu would make it even," he offered calmly.

"How about this? We'll exchange the wind jutsu and the fuuinjutsu for now, and when I see another ninjutsu of yours that I like, you'll teach it to me?" she rebutted.

The notion of such an open-ended pact did not appeal to him. However, her sealing technique would aid significantly in his plans. It was worth the risk. Therefore, the choice was clear.

"Very well."

She beamed smugly. "We've got a deal then."

"Aa."

* * *

It did not take long for him to impart the necessary information to the kunoichi. In fact, she succeeded in learning the jutsu completely in the two hours they spent on the beach. Having satisfied her thirst for the wind jutsu, she finally consented to teach him her sealing jutsu.

However, much to Itachi's displeasure, the ring on his finger began to flash before they could commence. Tapping into it, he realized that Pein was calling for him. 

"You're being summoned?" the kunoichi asked curiously, eyes drawn to his ring.

"Aa."

She smirked. "I guess we'll have to postpone the fuuinjutsu."

He was not pleased, but it could not be helped. "Only until I return."

"Of course."

Itachi gave her a nod before he walked away. A short while later he found a secluded place along the beach to settle down. In moments, his projection was standing in Pein's study in Bird Country. Storing the information of Pein's location for future use, Itachi glanced at the Akatsuki leader.

"You called?"

Seated behind his desk, Pein nodded, his expression not giving away his thoughts. "There is something I must discuss with you."

Itachi raised an inquiring brow. 

"It's quite curious how Konoha appeared during the hachibi extraction, don't you think?" Pein remarked slowly. 

Itachi frowned slightly. The Leaf shinobi had turned up during the Shukaku extraction as well. Pein did not say things without reasons, so this must mean that there was something on his mind. The most obvious thing was that he suspected a leak from the Akatsuki. 

Deciding to remain impartial until he had more information, Itachi murmured, "They often appear when they are not wanted."

Pein's lips quirked. "That's true. However, it is too much of a coincidence when one takes into account the situation in Tea Country."

Itachi waited for him to explain.

"Deidara and Tobi had carried out what was necessary to instigate problems there. For a while, things appear to be moving in accordance to our plans. With the country's low income, the Daimyou was unable to call for help and was struggling to cope with the increasing number of crimes and outbreaks of fights. This changed when Konoha and its ally, Suna suddenly appeared to offer their assistance."

Frowning in disbelief, Itachi asked, "They volunteered their services for free?"

Pein shook his head. "Not quite. But the fee they charged was apparently low enough for the Daimyou's depleted budget." He grimaced. "There was no reason for Konoha and Suna to do so, unless they are aware of the consequences if Tea Country was left without aid. Which suggests that someone is leaking information."

"Do you have a suspect?" Itachi asked carefully. 

Pein gave him a meaningful look. "You have been a part of Akatsuki since the beginning, and I know it is not you. In fact, no one knows about this conversation aside from the two of us."

"Hm." Itachi immediately wondered if Tobi knew, seeing that he was most likely to be the one pulling the strings from behind the scenes. However, the way Pein worded it, it was possible that Pein suspected everyone. 

"I do not like to ask this question, but it is necessary."

Itachi had a feeling he knew what was coming. His suspicion was confirmed by Pein's next words.

"Did Sakura leave your company for any amount of time?"

It was inevitable that she would be the first suspect, considering that she was the latest addition to the Akatsuki. Still, Itachi was not certain that Pein was right in suspecting her. When could she have found time to impart information back to Konoha? At that query, Itachi cast his mind back over the last few months. 

"She leaves to tend to her… personal needs. Or she would be in her room. Other than that, she trains alone occasionally. As far as I know, she had not left us for a significant amount of time."

Pein nodded. "That's good to know. Still, since she is our newest member, I want you to watch her closely. Just as a precaution."

"I understand."

"We will make a move on the kyuubi in a few months, but keep this between us. I don't want to risk anymore leaks."

"Aa."

"In the meantime, you may tell Sakura that she could commence with scouting out the side missions and to report to me when she found some."

Itachi forcibly suppressed the urge to twitch at Pein's words. What he recalled of their last bout of missions made him wish that Pein would reconsider sending them on these missions. The kunoichi had managed to arrange sixteen missions in an impossibly short span of time, only three weeks. This time, Itachi wondered how long they would spend carrying out those missions. 

Masking his displeasure, Itachi pointed out, "She would need to know the available time span."

"Tell her she has three months. And Itachi, do not speak of this conversation to the other members." Pein gave him a meaningful look. "Not even to Tobi."

Itachi stilled. It was rather odd that Pein wished to keep his suspicions from Tobi, seeing that Tobi was pulling the strings behind the scenes. Unless, of course, Pein had a separate agenda from Tobi. This could pose a problem. 

"You do not trust Tobi?" he ventured cautiously.

Pein cast him a contemplative look before he spoke. "You know as well as I do that Tobi is not what he seems."

So, Pein was aware of his interest in Tobi after all. Did that mean that Tobi knew as well? Did it matter? It was beginning to appear as if everyone in Akatsuki had their own scheme aside from the organization's goals. Somehow, now that he considered it, it did not surprise Itachi in the least.

Eyes hardening, the Akatsuki leader added, "At this moment, I don't trust anyone. But I'd like you to keep an eye on Sakura. I hope I'm wrong, though. We do not need anymore disruption when we are so close to our goals."

"Aa."

Once Pein inclined his head at him, signaling the end of the meeting, Itachi immediately dismissed his projection. He opened his eyes to be greeted by the dense trees and plants surrounding him. With Pein's words ringing in his head, Itachi stood up to made his way back to the building.

Tinkling laughter filtered through the air as he approached and Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly at the sound. 

Was she truly betraying them? 

Although betrayal was nothing new to him, Itachi could not help but hope that Pein's suspicion was wrong. Pein's increased suspicion could prove to be problematic, especially considering what he had planned to do over this week. Itachi had every intention of using this time to progress with his own plan, not to watch over the kunoichi, but it was clear that he could not do both at the same time. Still, his own goals were more important than the Akatsuki's and thus, it was his priority. 

Besides, Pein's suspicions were merely that; suspicions. So perhaps he should reserve judgment until the truth was revealed.

With that in mind, Itachi stepped through the back door into the kitchen. 

His eyes immediately went to the kunoichi. She was seated at the table opposite Kisame, sharing a pot of tea, her entire body damp from sweat and sea water. Glancing up at him, she gave him a nod of acknowledgement before returning her attention to her steaming cup of tea.

"Tea, Itachi-san?" Kisame invited.

With a nod, Itachi joined them, his features betraying nothing of what he had just learnt. 

* * *

The clacking of heels against the hard floor of the Konoha hospital echoed through the corridor as Tsunade made her way to a certain highly secured room. If Naruto had heeded her orders, he should be there now.

She scowled. The failure of the Konoha teams she had sent meant that the Akatsuki had now obtained the hachibi and was one step closer to their goal. When Kurenai and the ANBU teams had returned with the report that they had not reached in time to halt the extraction, she had been furious. Like the previous incident with the Kazekage, they had not been able to get past the Akatsuki's clones. 

But when Kurenai had gone on to say that the rest of her team was in the hospital with the unconscious ex-jinchuuriki, Tsunade had immediately rushed out.

To her surprise, apart from several battle wounds, dehydration and the obvious lack of a demon within, there had been nothing seriously wrong with the ex-jinchuuriki. She had instantly realized that it must be Sakura's doing. However, any attempts she had made to communicate with the ex-jinchuuriki had ended up in her storming out of the hospital room in rage. 

Even though Konoha had rescued him from River Country, it was clear that the jinchuuriki did not trust them. 

But she needed to know what had happened to him. So she had sent Team Kurenai out again, this time to Tea Country with the instruction that they take over from Team Kakashi so that Naruto could return.

The ANBU guards posted outside the door greeted her politely as she neared the hospital room.

"Is Naruto here?" she asked.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. He arrived just a minute ago."

Tsunade nodded, stepping up to the door to press her ears against it. The voices within confirmed the ANBU guards words and Tsunade began to listen intently to the conversation from within.

"Who are you?" the jinchuuriki asked.

"Call me Naruto."

"So, you're the kyuubi jinchuuriki."

"Yeah. Someone here told you, huh?" Naruto said wryly. 

"No. I did my research once I found out that the Akatsuki is after me. Looks like my research didn't help much, did it?" His tone was flat.

A pause followed.

"So," Naruto began awkwardly. "What's your name?"

"Akira."

"Akira, huh."

Another bout of silence filled the air, and Tsunade frowned. She thought they would have more to say to each other than this. Why was that big-mouth Naruto so awkward around this ex-jinchuuriki? He should be shooting his mouth off like he usually did.

"How do you feel?"

"Hachibi is gone. I can't feel him." Akira sounded lost.

Naruto laughed, sounding slightly more relaxed. "Hey, it's okay. At least the Akatsuki will leave you alone now."

"That's true."

"Gaara survived afterwards. He even managed to become the Kazekage, the bastard!" Naruto grumbled lightly.

"The Ichibi's vessel?"

"Yeah." Naruto paused briefly before he continued, "So, what happened back… you know… during the…"

"Extraction?" Akira supplied dryly.

"Yeah, that."

"It was painful. I thought I died."

"You thought?"

"This pink-haired Akatsuki did something to me." After a few seconds, he continued, "Come to think of it, I remember her wearing Leaf hitai-ate. Someone you know, maybe?"

"That would be Sakura," Naruto said almost inaudibly. "So what happened next?"

"Well, I thought I died. Then I felt this surge and when I opened my eyes, I saw her." He laughed darkly. "I must have been delirious, because at that time, I thought that it was strange that she looked so worried." 

Naruto sucked in a sharp breath. "What did she do?"

"I don't know."

Tsunade closed her eyes. She knew what Sakura had done. That student of hers had managed to complete the research and then taken the risk to test it out on the hachibi jinchuuriki. And she knew why Sakura had done it. After all, considering the circumstances, the choice was between letting Akira die or performing an untested technique on him with the possible chance that he might survive. 

It did not take a genius to realize that if this worked on the hachibi jinchuuriki, then it would work on Naruto. The problem was, she was not entirely sure if Sakura had modified anything ever since the last scroll she had left in the pickup point. Hence she had to investigate the wristbands around the jinchuuriki to backtrack on what Sakura had done. Then perhaps, she could remove enough of the kyuubi from Naruto to ensure that the Akatsuki would not ever obtain the full power of the kyuubi. 

The problem was what would Naruto think of it? Would he agree to it? From what Tsunade could tell from her study on the hachibi jinchuuriki shortly before he had awakened, it appeared that the hachibi's chakra had melded together with him, being one with him, even though Akatsuki had removed the actual demon. Even Gaara still possess an elevated level of chakra, unnatural to a normal shinobi. 

If she succeeded and spread the news, then Akatsuki would not know where to find the kyuubi. Naruto would not be their target then. 

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. This move might also ease the council's paranoia. They were growing increasingly insistent that she took Naruto off active duty, due to the risk of losing the kyuubi. And when she had refused point blank, the council began to push her to take out the Akatsuki. 

She had told them that Konoha did not have enough information to take them all down, citing what happened when Pein and Konan ran from Rain Country. Even though she had sent out two full ANBU squads, they were clearly unprepared to take down the leader. 

But it was clear that something needed to be done. 

And soon.

* * *

Last night, Sakura had finally imparted her fuuinjutsu technique to him, even though Itachi had noted that she only told him the bare details. It had not surprised him. However, what he had gleaned from her was more than enough for his purpose. 

Since then, Itachi had observed the kunoichi intently and yet, he detected nothing out of the ordinary. Sakura tended to spend most of the time training at the beach, only joining them occasionally for meals, during which infuriating bouts of heated bickering would commence between her and Kisame. 

Itachi was growing increasingly convinced that Pein was simply paranoid. The leak must simply be a coincidence. After all, Leaf had been able to track them down multiple times even before Sakura had joined them. 

In any case, Pein's orders would have to wait as Itachi needed to leave the island soon to handle his own issues. And since there was only one boat available, he could be assured that the kunoichi would not be going anywhere. At least not without Kisame's assistance.

Deciding to leave his cloak behind, Itachi walked out of his bedroom. He would procure a more discreet cloak when he landed in his destination. It would be prudent not to attract unnecessary attention considering his intentions.

He found both Kisame and Sakura outside on the beach, in the middle of a taijutsu spar. Their movements immediately stilled when they sensed his approach. 

"I'm leaving," he announced, pausing before them. 

Wiping a drop of sweat off her forehead, Sakura cast him an inquiring look. "Where are you going?"

Kisame snorted. "That's not the type of questions you should ask a man, kunoichi."

"Am I asking you, Shark-Face?" she shot back. "I'm asking him!"

Brows raised, Kisame shot her a meaningful look. "Oh? So you want to know even if he's heading out for some company?"

Understanding Kisame's intentions, Itachi smirked inwardly and waited for it to play out, even though Kisame's assumption was nothing further from the truth. Knowing the kunoichi's naiveté, she would fall into the trap and probably end up embarrassing herself. He would take this opportunity to amuse himself before he left.

Her brows furrowed. "Company? What do you mean?"

Kisame bared his jagged teeth in a wide grin. "He's a man, kunoichi. And he had been stuck with you for some time. So where do you think he's going?"

"He's a-" She paused abruptly as her eyes widened. Then she reddened visibly. "Oh."

"Don't tell me I didn't try to save you the embarrassment."

"I'm not embarrassed!" she denied vehemently, even though she reddened further.

Kisame guffawed boisterously. "For a kunoichi, you're sure innocent. What? Still a virg-"

"DON'T you dare say it!" Releasing an indignant huff, the kunoichi spun around. "I'm going in to get something to drink," she spat, walking away with jerky steps. 

"Running away?" Kisame shouted at her back mockingly.

"Shut up!" reached them before she disappeared into the dense growth separating the sea and the land. 

Itachi switched his attention back to the grinning Kisame. However, the grin died down to be replaced with a look of concern when the Mist shinobi turned to face him.

"We should lay low," Kisame pointed out.

"Aa."

Digging the end of Samehada into the ground, Kisame glanced into the distance. "You'll be gone a long time?"

"A few days."

The Mist shinobi nodded. "I'll see you then."

Without another word, Itachi spun around and made his way to the boathouse. 

* * *

It took a while before she was calm enough to venture out of the house. Still, she frowned as she stomped to where she considered her own private spot on the beach.

Kisame's meaning had been more than clear. She did not know why, but the idea of Itachi visiting whorehouses seemed so wrong to her. He did not seem to be the type to indulge in such things. 

'But he almost kissed you.'

No, the whole thing was just her imagination. She had thought through it and Itachi could not possibly want to kiss her. 

'Why not? He did not seem to object when we cuddled up to him in our sleep.'

Sakura frowned. But that must be simply because he could not be bothered to move her, right? After all, they were just sleeping, nothing else. Anyway, so what if she had slept against him. It did not mean anything. She could have done the same with Kisame or Deidara. It just so happened that Itachi had been the one there at that time.

'Just wake up and see what's right in front of you, woman! Maybe if you've responded, he wouldn't have left.'

What? Responded? Sakura blinked. There was no way she would allow Itachi to do to her whatever he did to those women. The whole idea was ludicrous. And Inner Sakura had obviously gone completely insane if she thought that something like that would happen between her and Itachi. 

Sakura gritted her teeth as she forcibly yanked her thoughts away from a certain distracting Uchiha. 

She had better things to do, namely, practice her wind jutsu. Itachi's advice had helped a lot. It was almost done now, and all she needed was a little bit more practice. Kisame was on the other side of the island, so she had some privacy this time.

Yes, she would practice and not think about Itachi.

With that thought, she raised her hands and focused her full attention and effort into perfecting the wind jutsu. It was getting more and more powerful each time she tried it, and Sakura was elated that she had managed to come up with something like this. She could not wait until the day she could show it to Tsunade, Kakashi and Naruto. 

It was dark when she finally stopped, breathing heavily as she laid on her back staring up at the twinkling stars. The session had almost drained her dry of chakra, and by that point she could almost swear that she did not want to see another wind jutsu in her entire life. 

With a sigh, she rolled over, her cheek pressed against the dry sand. She could not even summon up the energy to blow her hair out of her eyes. It looked like she was just going to stay there until such time that she was able to move.

Closing her eyes, she felt herself drifting between sleep and wakefulness. However, the rhythmic sound of the waves was definitely lulling her to sleep.

"If you're trying to kill yourself, you could have just asked me."

Sakura groaned irritably as the rough voice pulled her out of her slumber. Cracking her eyes open, she saw Kisame's feet stopping right in front of her face.

"So what do you say, kunoichi? Want any help in splitting your skull open?"

"Go away, Shark-Face," she muttered grumpily.

She heard a snort before Kisame lowered himself to sit beside her. "You like to overdo things, don't you?"

"Huh?" She blinked, propping herself up to stare at his side profile.

"I felt your chakra the whole damned day. Distracting as hell, I tell you. Chased all the fishes away."

"Fishes?" she echoed. Trying to wrap her mind around the concept of Kisame and fishes, she finally came to a conclusion. "You were fishing?" she exclaimed incredulously. 

"What's wrong with that?" he shot back defensively. 

She glowered at him. While she was killing herself training, he was fooling around fishing. Then realizing how unreasonable she sounded even in her mind, she sighed inwardly. Kisame probably didn't feel the need to train because he was quite happy with his skill level. Unlike her. 

"But I guess we got to keep sharpening our skills." He smirked. "Akatsuki is to be feared after all."

Sakura blinked in surprise at his words. 

"Yeah," she responded slowly. Sitting up, she stared at the sea as a question presented itself in her mind. "So, how did you end up in Akatsuki in the first place?"

"Eh? Itachi-san brought me in."

Her eyes widened. "Really? I thought Pein and Konan do the recruiting."

"They didn't in my case." A bark of laughter escaped him them. "Should have seen their faces when Itachi introduced me, though. They sure didn't like it."

Chuckling at the imagery of Pein and Konan staring at Kisame with utter disbelief, Sakura remarked, "Well, you are blue. But I guess they finally got used to you, huh?"

"You could say that."

Curious to find out more, Sakura pressed, "How did you meet Itachi then?"

He smirked at her. "Why do you want to know?"

"Why not?"

"Then you mind telling me why you left Konoha?" he shot back.

It was probably not hard for her to just spin the tale she had been spinning whenever she could not get out of answering this particular question, but for some reason, she did not feel like doing it now. She did not feel like… lying to Kisame, at least not anymore than what was absolutely necessary. 

"See, kunoichi? Some things are best left unsaid," Kisame pointed out with a chuckle. 

She scowled darkly, but said nothing more.

* * *

In the sweltering heat at the south coast of Wind Country, a hut was nestled within a secluded valley. The inside of the hut was devoid of light, the door and windows were shut tight and warded to prevent unwanted interference. Nothing could be heard within the space apart from the heavy rasps of breathing. 

Dragging in another deep lungful of air, Itachi keeled forward, trying to keep himself upright as he braced himself up on one arm. The other arm was in too much pain to be of use at the moment. Absently, his eyes strayed towards the scroll which the kunoichi had given him and another older scroll beside it. There was still a little bit more for him to do. 

This was the second day of his seclusion, and he had almost completed the jutsu. However, it had taken much more from him than he had anticipated, and right now, he was paying the price. His chakra was almost completely depleted, and he could only hope that the small amount would last long enough to see him through the rest of the jutsu.

Otherwise he would be forced to remain another day. However, doing so would increase the risk of being discovered, for Pein could choose to summon him or the rest whenever he wished. Therefore it was best that he completed this as soon as he could.

Reaching into a pocket, he retrieved a familiar pill, one of the many soldier pills Sakura had given him during the course of their travels. His lips tilted slightly at the recollection of her exasperated expression each time she had passed one to him, even though he had not always eaten them. Her urge to ensure that he had proper sustenance must have come from her medic-nin background, he surmised wryly. Still, it turned out to be useful, he thought as he took one into his mouth.

Steeling himself, he straightened and once again formed the seals for the jutsu before he placed his palm on the older scroll. Hours passed as he focused his complete attention on drawing the technique from the scroll he had created a few years after he had joined the Akatsuki. It was a scroll he had kept all these years to be used at this very moment.

When the black kanji on the old scroll finally faded away from the paper, Itachi lowered his hands and turned his attention to the other scroll. This second scroll contained the chakra he had absorbed from the orb.

He was tired, but the knowledge that he had almost reached the end of his first plan gave him a surge of determination to continue. Inhaling deeply, he formed a series of seals and this time, his palm landed on the newer scroll.

The trickle of chakra from the scroll to the seal on his arm began slowly, as if the chakra contained within was reluctant to leave. As if Pein's and Tobi's chakra were refusing him. Soon, however, the transfer began to speed up, and Itachi could only grit his teeth to keep control as the chakra flooded into the newly formed seal in his arm.

Then it was over.

Breathing heavily, Itachi glanced down at the seal on the inner side of his left arm with weary satisfaction. The jutsu had worked, forming a circular pattern of dark strokes against his pale skin. The seal had been designed to mimic the reproduction abilities of the Akatsuki's initiation orb, and would play a vital part in the next step of his plan. 

However, he was far too drained now to attempt the journey back. He would simply have to rest there for the night. Tomorrow, he would return to join Kisame and Sakura. 

* * *

A/N: I felt a bit bad for the last cliffhanger, so I thought I should end the story on a more neutral note this time, hehe! I hope you've enjoyed the story and as always, please review if you could because I would like to know what you think of the chapter. Thanks!

:elle6778: 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recogniz

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: I'm happy you all enjoyed the previous chapter. Thanks for the reviews, you guy - Illidan the Half Demon, cranberrieraven, Ita-ta, Rest In Peace Itachi-kun, supersillee06, Luka1Sakura, idriliel, animeismyname, iLazyPenguinx, sympatheticassassin, AkatsukiSakura73, SasukeSakuraxXXxItachiSakura, Goatis, magical meli, Selene98, Kinkatia, Jester08, animal.cracker.assassinator, Passionate Crow Rat, Hao'sAnjul, PodRacingprincess, crazy, Blueberry Babe, midnight000shadow, aznkitty180, S. T. Nickolian, TheChocolateNinja, Leila411, Okami Kyohaku, fallenleaves142, equestrian247, sharma, Maoimilovesshikamaru, lindajrjt, ForgiveButNeverForget, fightinsurfgrl, aolia and ironiji.

And onwards with the story…

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 15**

Sakura yawned widely as she sat up in her bed. A quick glance outside told her that it was dawn. So it was time to get up and train again. With that thought, she began her morning routine of cleansing herself before she traipsed down the hallway to head towards the kitchen.

With her new wind jutsu perfected, she had spent the last three days brushing up on her reaction speed. She had created multiple clones of herself and fought them with her eye-enhancement jutsu activated. Sure she had ended up with practically no chakra every night, but the result was definitely worth it. However, practicing alone and with her clones could only do so much. Now, she needed someone to test it on before she tried it on Itachi.

Her expression hardened with determination when she recalled his challenge. She would show Itachi that she was more than capable of fully utilizing her eye technique. Yes, the moment Itachi returned from his gallivanting trip, she would demand a rematch. He had been gone for the past five days and she was beginning to wonder when he planned to come back. Weren't they supposed to lay low? How was he achieving that while he was out there womanizing? She did not have much experience of that sort, but surely five days were more than enough to… uh… satisfy him?

Realizing that she was thinking about Itachi again, Sakura scowled at herself. She should really stop this habit of having random thoughts about Itachi. How was she supposed to get over this supposed infatuation if she kept thinking about him? The whole situation was aggravating.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. It would take time, but she would get over it. She had to, because there was no other option. From now on, she would treat Itachi like how she treated Kisame. Yes, that was what she would do.

Arriving at an empty kitchen, Sakura helped herself to a quick breakfast before she stepped out the back door.

Now where was Kisame? Come to think of it, it had been a while since their last session. It was about time they trained together again. With Kisame's chakra and speed, he was the perfect one to test her newly-honed skills on.

Tracking his chakra signature, Sakura began to make her way further inland. The foliage grew thicker as she went uphill, but eventually thinned as she reached the top. From her vantage point, she swept her eyes over the landscape below, knowing that Kisame was somewhere down there since he did not bother to mask his chakra.

She finally found him next to a small river flowing in the middle of a wide valley, lounging against a rock with a fishing rod held loosely in one hand. Glad that she had found him without too much trouble, Sakura swiftly made her way down the hill towards the valley.

Kisame had obviously detected her approach because he was looking straight at her when she stepped out from behind a tree.

"What brings you here, kunoichi?"

"Looking for you, what else?"

"What? You want to fish?"

She made a face, shaking her head before she quirked a challenging brow. "Up for a spar?"

Lips stretching into a grin, Kisame retorted, "Can't wait to get beaten?"

Sakura snorted dismissively. "As if. Last count-"

"Seven-seven, a tie," Kisame supplied as he stood up, tossing his fishing rod aside.

"You forgot to include our first one."

Picking up Samehada, Kisame growled irritably, "That doesn't count. Anyway, I'll win after this session. So what are the stakes this time?"

She tapped her lips thoughtfully, and then announced, "The loser gets to cook dinner for everyone for the rest of our stay."

Kisame smirked. "It's a good thing your cooking is not that bad."

Grinning, she rebutted, "Well, I'm really looking forward to your seafood stew."

He flung his arms wide. "What are you waiting for then? This place would do."

"Wait!" she called out.

Pressing her fingers to her eyes, she activated the eye enhancement jutsu. Kisame immediately frowned, obviously recognizing the move.

"Eh, kunoichi. That's outside what we agreed on before."

She shrugged. "Change of rules, I guess. I need to train myself on this."

He gave her a shrewd look. "This is because of what Itachi-san said, isn't it?"

"What if it is?" she retorted, a little disgruntled by Kisame's perception. "When he returns, I'm going to make him take back what he said."

Raising a brow, Kisame cautioned, "You're asking for trouble, kunoichi. Itachi-san is not someone you play games like this with. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to say? That I can't defeat him?"

He snorted derisively. "You think you can?"

"Why not?" she shot back belligerently.

Smirking, Kisame declared, "Call me when it happens. I want to see him kick your skinny ass back to Konoha."

"Oh? Is it because you have no chance of coming close to defeating me?" she taunted with a grin.

His eyes narrowed into slits. "You're really asking for it, aren't you? Fine, I'll give it to you. And no eye jutsu."

It would be pointless to fight if she could not use that enhancement jutsu. She needed it to see just how effective her practice had been. Then again, Kisame was probably reluctant to agree because of the pact they had made sometime ago.

"How about this? I use this eye-jutsu, and you can use all of your water-jutsu? We can go all out this time."

The appearance of the gleam of anticipation in Kisame's eyes could not be missed. "Then be prepared to drown, kunoichi," he announced with a laugh.

"Dream on, Shark-Face," she countered, grinning widely.

Then they darted at each other.

* * *

Sakura inhaled deeply and sighed. The food was crackling in the pan and the air was permeated with the mouthwatering scent of seafood. Chin propped on her fists, she let her eyes wander out through the kitchen window, watching the slender trees sway gently in the breeze.

It had been a good session.

She smirked happily at the thought of her victory. It had been a tough fight and if she was honest with herself, she had nearly lost, caught in one of Kisame's most powerful water jutsu. In the end, it had been his misstep that had allowed her to win. He had approached her to gloat and she had taken the opportunity to launch her chakra-based attack on him. Although both of them had ended up with bleeding wounds all over the place, it had been an immensely satisfying session.

Kisame had been less than pleased that she had won, finally breaking their tied score. And now that she was in the lead, there was no doubt in her mind that Kisame would insist on engaging her in another fight. Still, she knew that the two of them were too closely matched for either of them to emerge a winner.

Not that she was complaining. These sessions had done wonders to her techniques. Having someone as powerful as Kisame to practice on was definitely good. His endless chakra supply meant that she got to increase her chakra stamina as well. She had been surprised to find at the end of today's fight that she actually had enough chakra to heal them both. And the longer she knew the tall Mist shinobi, the better they got along, albeit with a lot of bickering.

Her elation dimmed when she realized what she was thinking.

Biting her lips, she scolded herself sternly. Once again, she reminded herself that she could not afford to get too emotionally attached to Kisame or any of the other Akatsuki members. If she was smart, she should try to distance herself emotionally, making sure that she only displayed enough to convince them that she was fully part of their organization. Nothing good would come out of her getting too close to them.

But it was getting harder and harder to do so.

"Feeling a little lost, kunoichi?"

She jumped slightly at Kisame's voice, her train of thought broken. "What are you talking about now?" she asked incredulously.

The Mist shinobi shrugged as he shifted something in the pan. "Itachi-san is not here, is he?"

She tensed slightly at the mention of the Uchiha. Trust the Mist shinobi to bring the topic of Itachi up when she was doing her best to stop thinking about him. What had Kisame meant by his remark anyway?

"And?" she prompted levelly.

Kisame raised a brow, but said nothing else on the topic. Instead he turned back to the pan, carrying on with his task of cooking them dinner, leaving Sakura to glare at his back. What was Kisame implying? That she missed Itachi? Sure they had been practically stuck at the hips for weeks, but surely she did not miss him. Why should she?

Inner Sakura appeared, only to roll her eyes before disappearing again. Sakura scowled in reaction. No, she did not miss Itachi, and that was the last she would think of it. Inner Sakura was just being her usual contrary self.

Two steaming hot pots landed on the table in front of her, jolting her out of her contemplations once again. Her mouth began to water as she hungrily eyed the food before her. Piling the food into her bowl, she paused long enough to beam gratefully at the Mist shinobi.

"Thanks, Kisame. Have I ever told you that I love your food?"

Kisame looked disgruntled. "Just eat."

Not needing to be told twice, Sakura immediately dug into the food. She had not been joking when she said that she looked forward to Kisame's seafood dishes. Shark-Face could easily make a good living operating a restaurant if he chose to give up his raving mad criminal ways. But alas, that was not likely to happen.

Halfway through dinner, a familiar presence reached them, and Sakura immediately slid her attention to the kitchen door as Kisame did the same. It had been days, but he was finally back.

Soon, the object of their attention walked into the kitchen and Sakura let out the breath she did not realize she was holding. Itachi looked as if he had been through hell. What had happened to him?

"Itachi-san. Welcome back," Kisame greeted before he returned to his food.

Stepping closer to them, the Uchiha returned the greeting with a nod, removing his cloak at the same time.

"Kisame made some dinner," Sakura announced needlessly. "Are you joining us?"

"Aa," was Itachi's only response as he sat went to bring another bowl to the table.

She studied him intently, noting the tired lines around his eyes as he began to heap his bowl with food. Why the hell was he so tired? He could not seriously have tired himself out so much by… uh… sleeping with those women, could he? And if she did not know better, it almost looked as if he was suffering from chakra-depletion, something that had never happened before as far as she knew.

"Are you alright?" she asked carefully.

"Hm."

She was not convinced, but something about Itachi's countenance prevented her from prodding further. Maybe he had ended up in a fight or something on the way back. She was not really concerned, not really. It was just her medic side kicking in.

"Let it be, kunoichi," Kisame grunted without looking away from his food.

Yes, maybe she should let it be.

Still, she could not stop herself from casting surreptitious glances at the Uchiha throughout dinner.

* * *

It was not often that Itachi woke up with such a feeling of anticipation coursing through him. But today, he did.

Wide-awake in an instant, Itachi sat up in his bed. The first thing on his mind was to inspect the result of his efforts for the past few days. Doing a quick assessment of his body, he was pleased to find that his chakra was mostly restored after the night's rest. He then sat up and pulled up his left sleeve to reveal the seal hidden beneath. Performing a quick jutsu, he inspected the seal and found to his satisfaction that it was functioning as it should.

He would need to find time to make another trip and the initial segment of his plan would be complete.

But first, he would continue his role in the Akatsuki as usual to minimize suspicions. With Pein already wary of traitors, it would be prudent for him to ensure that his 'personal' activities remained hidden. Fortunately for him, Itachi knew that Kisame's silence was assured. After all, the Mist-shinobi hardly interacted with the rest, with the odd exception of the kunoichi.

The thought of Sakura brought forth mixed feelings within him. In light of Pein's wariness, Itachi wondered if he should take appropriate measures to ensure that her actions would not affect him. If she was not a spy, there was a chance that she would not have any qualms about reporting him to Pein when asked to do so. However, if she was a truly spy, then it was unlikely that she would turn against him, for such a thing would not benefit her.

Itachi smirked slightly at the tangles of suspicion playing within the organization. They were all powerful missing-nins, therefore it was not surprising they had their own agenda. Still, the rest could do what they wished. In the end, only one thing mattered to him and that was to destroy the one who had been foolish enough to manipulate him in the past, even though said manipulation had graced him with heightened abilities.

Deciding that he should begin the day, Itachi slid out of bed and commenced his morning routine. Soon, he was walking out of his room, heading towards the kitchen. Even after the large meal last night, Itachi found himself hungry for more sustenance. He surmised that it must be due to the amount of energy and chakra he had expended over the past few days.

The sight of the kunoichi greeted him when he stepped into the kitchen. She was seated at the table, munching on a piece of crunchy rice cake. Her eyes met his and she gestured to the rest of the rice cake beside the pot of tea.

"Breakfast."

Itachi had to refrain from scowling. Fate would have it so that there were only rice crackers for breakfast when he was seeking a better meal.

"There is nothing else?" he queried.

Her rice cracker paused halfway to her mouth as she stared at him. Then she shook her head slightly, her lips quirking in amusement. "I didn't think that you're the type to be fussy about food. But there are some leftovers on the stove if you want that instead. Why are you so picky this morning anyway?"

He declined to answer. Instead, he went to the stove, eyeing the pots which contained the leftovers from last night's dinner. Lifting the lids, he was pleased to find that there was sufficient to satisfy him. He immediately turned on the fire under the pots to warm them up.

"Need any help?"

Without glancing at her, he replied, "No."

As he stirred the food in the pot, it occurred to him that she showed no sign that she was still annoyed over the incident a few days ago on the beach. Amusement flooded him at the memory of how embarrassed she had been. It was turning out to be some odd pattern. Something would happen to unsettle her to the point that she would storm off in anger, but a short while later, she would be back to normal. Either she truly never held a grudge for long or she was simply a good actress.

And being a good actress would make one a good spy.

Itachi wondered which one it was. At least he would be the first to find out, seeing that Pein had instructed him to watch her carefully. Come to think of it, he would need to ask Kisame subtly if anything untoward had happened while he was gone.

"Where is Kisame?" he asked, turning to look at her.

She gestured in the direction of the boathouse. "He left this morning for supplies. He should be back in a few hours."

"Aa." He would have to delay his conversation with Kisame then.

Once the food was ready, he sat down at the table opposite her and began to eat. For a long while, the kitchen was silent as both of them consumed their food. Once his hunger was sated, Itachi placed his chopsticks on the table to reach for the tea.

"Itachi-san."

Raising the tea to his lips, he directed an enquiring look at her.

"How are you feeling today?" she asked.

Wondering what could possibly compel her to ask after his health, Itachi replied evenly, "Fine."

Much to his curiosity, her eyes flickered with a hint of uncertainty before it was replaced by an odd gleam. "I think it's time for our rematch," she announced.

"Rematch?" he echoed softly.

A second passed before he recalled that he had challenged her to prove that she was not wasting the potential her eye-enhancement jutsu. He had almost forgotten about it. Her present request must mean that she had been practicing while he was away.

Her eyes flashed with determination. "Yes."

Smirking, Itachi asked, "When do you wish to begin?"

"As soon as possible."

Her eagerness reminded him oddly of Sasuke. Just like Sasuke, the kunoichi was wearing an expectant look, one which told him that she was looking forward to the encounter. Idly, he wondered why he had thought to compare the two of them, and then swiftly decided that it was not something worth pondering.

Finishing his tea, Itachi stood up and walked to the back door. When he was standing at the threshold, he glanced at her over his shoulder. For reasons he could not identify, Itachi found himself looking forward to their battle. It had been some time since he trained properly after all. Furthermore, this was a good opportunity to test if his strength had been weakened at all by the jutsu he had performed on himself. He expected some weakening but he needed to know how much.

"Are you coming?" he asked quietly.

As she straightened to walk towards him, her lips broke into a grin of anticipation. "Let's go."

By an unspoken agreement, they made their way to the beach. Once there, they turned to face each other.

"No rules," she stipulated, chin tilted.

Surprised by her words, Itachi raised a brow. Surely she was not foolish enough to think that she could cope with his Mangekyou Sharingan techniques if he chose to use them. Not that he would do so in such a battle.

As if she understood his thoughts, she remarked smugly, "I know you won't use your Mangekyou for something like this. You only use it as a last resort."

"Aa. It is unlikely indeed. Basic techniques will suffice for such a battle, will it not?" he responded smoothly while allowing a hint of mockery to seep through.

Predictably, the kunoichi stiffened at his words. And then her eyes narrowed in irritation. "You're underestimating me, Itachi-san."

"That remains to be seen."

A vein in her forehead twitched, but she said nothing in response to his words. Instead, she lifted her fingers to her eyes to perform her eye jutsu. When Itachi next saw those green orbs, they were swirling with bright chakra.

"Let's start."

"Hm."

For a long while, they simply stared at each other. He would decide on his strategy once he ascertained her approach to this battle. There was no reason for him to expend unnecessary chakra, after all. He would wait for her to make the first move.

When she did, he was not disappointed.

His Sharingan tracked her swift departure to the right of her original position, prompting him to arch backwards to avoid her kick. Flicking his kunai out, Itachi slashed it across, aiming for her neck. He smirked slightly as her eyes widened a fraction of a second before she intercepted it with her own kunai. Their blades clashed with a loud clang and they broke away from each other.

Itachi studied the kunoichi's posture warily, looking for signs of her next move. A slight tensing of her muscles caught his eyes and he darted to the side, barely avoiding her glowing fist, only to be forced to jump in the air when her legs followed.

Vaguely, it occurred to him that this was the first time he was engaging in a true battle with her. Their last fight had been purely taijutsu, and he had never been on the receiving end of her chakra-enhanced attacks. In the past, even though he had seen her fight, he was usually too preoccupied with his own opponents to pay full attention to her techniques.

"Damn it! Stop running away and fight!" she snapped irritably when he succeeded in avoiding another one of her attacks.

He raised a brow and smirked, knowing that it would infuriate her further. Did she not realize that the moment she became agitated, she would be at a disadvantage? Also, it appeared that she was unaware that he only refrained from attacking because he wished to gauge her skill and speed. And from what he could see, her speed had improved since their last battle.

Perhaps it was time he responded to her attacks with his own to test her reflexes.

He swung to the side as her fist came at him again. This time, instead of retreating, he snapped an arm out, twisting around her outstretched one and slammed into her with his shoulder. Pushed away from him, she stumbled slightly before she spun around, eyeing him warily.

"Going to fight for real now?" she asked, arching a brow.

So she had noticed after all. "Aa."

Green eyes narrowed slightly. "Good."

Deciding that there was no reason to delay, Itachi executed the seals for a water jutsu. "Suiton: Suigadan."

The water on the shore rose and morphed into the shape of a spinning drill, heading straight for the kunoichi. Seemingly unperturbed, she performed an earth jutsu, blocking the water attack with an earth wall. It was the same one she had used previously to defend against Kisame's attack but Itachi noted that the earth wall was substantially stronger than before.

With growing sense of anticipation at the fact that she would now offer him a worthwhile challenge, Itachi streaked towards her, creating a clone of himself as he did so. He would refrain from using water jutsu, for it was clear that she was capable of blocking those. Fire jutsu, however, would put her at a disadvantage, considering that her primary element was wind.

Both he and his bunshin simultaneously released fireballs at her. The attack connected, but Itachi smirked slightly when he realized that she had created clones to intercept the fireballs. Puffing out of existence at contact, the smoke soon cleared to reveal that the kunoichi was now heading straight for him, her eyes flashing with determination and her raised hand glowing in the shape of a scalpel.

Itachi tensed.

His Sharingan told him that the one heading for him was another clone. So where was the real Sakura? He needed to locate her but he had to deal with the clone first. Sliding out a kunai, he slashed it just a second before the clone reached him. Before the smoke cleared, he caught sight of another glowing hand.

Itachi's eyes widened when he realized that she had hidden herself behind her clone, fooling his Sharingan. A flick of his wrist sent his kunai flying towards her right thigh, slicing through flesh before it fell to the ground, but she did not stop. Her chakra blade continued to head for his neck, and Itachi had to twist backwards to avoid it.

Then a sharp pain shot up his left arm.

He had not expected her to be swift enough to retaliate from the other side. Irked that he had managed to sustain an injury, Itachi decided that he would have to handle this battle more seriously if he wished to win. His left hand was now numb, even though it was not bleeding. Raising his right hand, he performed a one-handed series of seals.

"Katon: Goukakyuu-no-jutsu," he mouthed, while he swiftly executed a cloning jutsu.

His clone took his place just as the kunoichi substituted herself with a log to avoid the blast from the fireball. He appeared in front of her, surprising her with his presence. But before she could react, he locked her eyes with his Sharingan.

He watched as her breath hitched and her eyes glazed over in reaction to his genjutsu. It was one which brought forth her deepest fears. Idly, Itachi wondered what it could be. It did not matter. He would attack while she was preoccupied. Already, he could sense her trying to break free of the genjutsu.

Flicking his kunai out, Itachi shot forward, intending to place the kunai at her throat to end the battle.

"Kai!"

Her voice rang out just as his kunai reached her. Glowing green eyes widened as her hand came up to block, but she only succeeded in deflecting the blade downwards to slice deeply into her shoulder. A hiss of pain escaped her as she jumped back, glaring at him warily.

"It that all you can do, Itachi-san?" she taunted as she placed a glowing hand on her wound to heal it.

Itachi smirked as he prepared to attack again.

They continued to trade blows, neither of them truly gaining an upper hand. After a while, Itachi realized that they knew each other's skills too well. In addition to that, he noted that the seal he had placed on himself was continuously drawing on his chakra, lessening the amount available to him for this fight. Even though the effect on his chakra would diminish once the seal stabilized, Itachi knew that it would take some time to do so.

Unless he used his Mangekyou or found a way to catch her off guard, he would not win. With that thought, he began to plot his next step as they continued to battle.

His opportunity arrived sooner than he had anticipated when she leapt away from him, her eyes narrowing.

"You won't be able to avoid this," she declared confidently as she performed a series of seals.

"Do not be so smug, Sakura-san."

He read the moves with his Sharingan and then smirked inwardly when he realized what she had done to the wind jutsu he had taught her. She had merged it with an earth jutsu and he was curious to see what she had created. It would no doubt be powerful, if it were to connect with its target. However, he had no intention of allowing such a thing to occur.

She completed her seals and brought her palm down to the ground.

Itachi's eyes widened slightly at the sight of a large mass of sand shooting upward and forward, carried by a heavy thrust of wind. Perhaps he had underestimated her strength, just a little.

Knowing that he did not have much time, Itachi performed a substitution jutsu while the raging sand blocked him from her view. He disappeared into the ground just before a wave of airborne sand rushed past where he had been standing, leaving him unharmed.

To make it appear as if he had been hit by her attack, he waited until the attack had dissipated to a safe level before reappearing some distance away. Dropping to the ground, he closed his eyes and kept his body still. By his estimation, the kunoichi would simply assume that he had been hit by the attack. It was a risky maneuver, but Itachi was fairly certain that the kunoichi was just the type to fall for it.

The wind soon died down, leaving the sand to sprinkle all over him. For a moment, everything was silent.

And then he heard her voice.

"Itachi-san."

He kept immobile. True to his prediction, soft footsteps began to approach him.

"Itachi?" she whispered, her tone containing a hint of concern.

She was so close now that he could feel the warmth of her body while she leaned over him, and for a brief moment, Itachi could not recall what he had planned to do to her. He could only focus on how her fingers were brushing his hair out of his face, and how the other hand was pressed to the side of his neck to check for pulse.

Considering her medical skills, his deception would be revealed shortly if he did not act now.

He jumped up, catching a glimpse of shocked green eyes as he reversed their position. With a soft thud, she landed on her back, her arms stretched upwards, secured at the wrist by his uninjured hand. His other arm protested, but Itachi forced himself to ignore the pain. Knowing that it was not safe to leave her legs unrestrained, he quickly wrapped his own around them, effectively immobilizing her.

Only then did he turn his gaze to the kunoichi's face to find that their noses were almost touching. She was frozen in shock, her eyes wide and her lips slightly parted as she panted softly. He could feel her breath caressing his lips, instantly bringing back the memory of how he had been so close to kissing her that day at the beach.

A little belatedly, he admitted that he might have made an erroneous decision.

He could not ignore the way her chest heaved against his. In addition to that, he could feel every outline of her curves under him, drawing an unwanted response from his own body. The only thing which separated them was thin layers of fabric, too thin to prevent the warmth of her skin from reaching him. Too flimsy to hide his body's response should it choose to escalate. The growing awareness had been there for a while, but it was only now that he was able to give a name to it. Comrade or not, there was no denying that he was attracted to her, albeit only physically.

However, before he could consider his next step, the kunoichi snapped out of her frozen state. He watched as her features reddened and contorted into an unmistakable expression of fury.

"Get off," she gritted out tersely, her entire body trembling.

Attraction or not, this was still a battle he had no intention of losing. So Itachi set his expression into one of bemusement. "You concede defeat?"

"NO!" she snarled, her eyes flashing.

She began to struggle then, arching her body upwards in an attempt to dislodge him. He would have none of it. Using his body, he pressed her back down onto the sand and lowered his lips to her ear. Once again, she froze.

"Is this how you escape from such a hold?" he queried softly, all the while not failing to notice her scent. A heady mix of sweat and femininity.

She did not respond verbally but she continued to strain against his grip. However, without her chakra enhancement, she did not have a chance.

"You had ANBU training, had you not? What should a kunoichi do in such situations?"

"This is not the same!" she hissed vehemently.

His lips were almost touching her ear when he asked, "Are you certain?"

He had been so young then, only twelve. But he had seen many prospective ANBU kunoichi struggle with this aspect of the entrance examination. Whilst being female allowed them some advantages, there was also an equal chance of them finding themselves in the situation where males overpower them in a different manner. Thus, all of them had undergone additional psychological training to prepare them for this eventuality.

"Don't threaten me with something like that." Her voice was shakier this time. Strained. Almost as if she feared him.

Itachi frowned slightly. He had no intention of molesting her. However, it appeared that she thought otherwise. Perhaps she had valid reasons to arrive at such a conclusion. After all, he was subduing her with his entire body.

He should remove himself from her.

However, instead of doing so, Itachi found himself turning to face her and this time, the movement brought his right cheek in contact with hers skin. A sharp intake of breath was her only reaction. His proximity was obviously affecting her and for a moment, he considered testing just how far he could push her before she surrendered.

He only had to move slightly before he was close enough to kiss her. It was something he had wished to do several days ago and Itachi found that the urge was still present. It was beyond comprehension. The kunoichi might be affected by his presence, but it seemed that he was suffering from a similar affliction.

"I concede defeat."

Her almost inaudible voice broke him out of his musings. Itachi lifted his head to look into her flushed face to find that she refused to meet his eyes. Her body fitted well underneath his, even though she was so tense that one would think that she might shatter at any moment. He should release her, now that she had conceded defeat.

Once again, he made no move to do so.

His gaze traveled down to her lips as he deliberated his next action.

Before he could arrive at a decision, he felt the approach of a familiar chakra. A surge of annoyance coursed through him when it registered that this was the second time Kisame was interrupting them. Taking his eyes away from the kunoichi, Itachi released his grip and lifted himself off her. The loss of her warmth displeased him but he brushed the thought away.

Just as Kisame joined them, Sakura jumped to her feet, her eyes averted. There was no mistaking the tension in the air as Itachi stared at her in silence. He could tell that she was greatly discomfited by how their battle had ended. In an odd way, he felt rather unsettled as well.

Samehada propped on his shoulder, Kisame raised a brow. "Did I interrupt something?"

"We were just fighting" Her tone was flat.

"Well, it looked like you lost, kunoichi," Kisame remarked snidely.

Sakura shot him a dark look, but said nothing. The pink blush was still present on her cheeks and her breathing was still elevated.

"She was caught off guard," Itachi was compelled to respond, much to his own puzzlement.

The Mist shinobi laughed. "I warned you, kunoichi. But you wouldn't listen."

"Oh, shut up, Shark-Face," she snarled as she stalked away from them.

Still laughing, Kisame turned to him and asked, "So, what was the stakes?"

Watching the tense figure of the kunoichi as she departed with jerky steps, Itachi did not answer immediately. They had not set up any stakes when they had begun, but something had definitely shifted in the dynamics after that session. Mere comrades should not react in such a manner towards each other. Perhaps the physical attraction was more potent that he had realized.

When Itachi finally replied, his voice was quiet.

"Nothing."

* * *

The morning dawned bright and early, stirring Sakura from her restless slumber. She had found it difficult to fall asleep last night, not that it surprised her. Sluggishly, she crawled out of her bed and went to the window of her bedroom, looking out into the cloudless blue sky in the horizon. The sea was calm today, a complete contrast from what she felt the moment she realized that she had to go downstairs.

It had been hard for her to look Itachi in the eyes after their match yesterday. Fortunately, he seemed to sense it and had left her alone since then. But what about today?

She glowered when she thought about the rematch and how she had been forced herself to use her new jutsu on him. Still, somehow she knew that even if she had executed all the jutsu under the sun, she could not defeat Itachi. It was disheartening to say the least.

But what was worse was how she had lost yesterday.

Instantly, her entire body bristled with a mix of fury and embarrassment.

It must have been an accident, right? Alright, maybe the faking unconsciousness part had been deliberate but the rest of it could not be. Itachi would not be so low as to pull something like that to distract her on purpose, right? It was her own fault for being so… attuned… to his presence. Somehow, lately she just could not concentrate when she was physically close to him. The whole thing was infuriating enough to drive her up the wall.

And when he mentioned that little thing about ANBU kunoichi training, her mind had instantly filled with all sorts of things she had no business entertaining. The worst thing was, she had been tempted to show him. She had been tempted to show him what the kunoichi had been taught back in Konoha, although she had not gone beyond the theoretical side of seduction. All she had to do was to push upwards and see how he would respond to her advances.

It had taken all her willpower to remain still underneath him.

She never felt so frustrated in her life. It was getting increasingly difficult to pretend that she was unaffected by the growing frequency of their odd encounters.

Then she sighed heavily. Maybe she was overreacting. Itachi would not purposely do something like that. Maybe this had nothing to do with Itachi in the first place and she was simply frustrated because they had been stuck in this island for more than a week, and her body was just itching for some real action.

In which case, it should be easy enough to solve. After all, she was meant to start scouting for missions soon, right? Itachi had told her that Pein said just as much. Besides, leaving on a scouting trip like this also meant that she would not have to face Itachi for a while. And maybe the next time she saw him, things would not be so awkward.

So what if they were supposed to lay low for a couple of weeks. A few days would not make any difference at all. And if she started early, maybe she could take things a little easier instead of rushing through everything.

Sakura stood up abruptly, her enthusiasm renewed. Yes, that was what she should do, she decided firmly as she stepped out of her room. She would have to take the boat out, effectively stranding Itachi and Kisame on the island unless one of them brought her to the mainland. All she needed to do was to get to Tea Country and then she could make her way onwards by foot.

She arrived at the kitchen to find Itachi and Kisame there, sharing a pot of tea. Both of them glanced up at her briefly before they returned to their drinks. The sight of Itachi immediately brought to mind how he had felt on top of her.

'Let's do it again! And more this time!' Inner Sakura suddenly exclaimed gleefully. 'Cha! You know you liked it!'

Sakura closed her eyes in exasperation, biting back a groan.

"Oi, kunoichi, what's with that look?"

Her eyes snapped open at Kisame's voice. Brushing aside the infuriating Inner Sakura, she announced, "I think I'll leave to scout for missions. We can't be sitting here all the time anyway, without anything to do."

"I'm not complaining, kunoichi," Kisame remarked.

She planted her hands on her hips, tossing him a playful glare. "Oh? What happened to the bloodthirsty Mist shinobi? Or are you growing soft in your old age?"

Kisame glowered at her. "I've done enough missions the last few months to last me a year, thanks to you."

Grinning, she patted him on his head, and then quickly snatched her hand away when he tried to swat it. "You're such a lightweight, Shark-Face."

His glower darkened. "Just go, kunoichi. You're just taking up space here, disturbing the fishes with your chakra."

She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm leaving soon, alright?! Can you take the boat and send me to Tea Country?"

"I will go," Itachi announced levelly.

She shot a surprised look at the Uchiha. The last thing she wanted was his company. However, knowing that it would look odd if she refused, Sakura nodded. "You just have to drop me off. You can come back here afterwards."

"You misread my intention. I will travel with you."

Sakura could only blink at him for a moment before she found her voice again. "It's only a scouting trip. Are you sure you want to come?"

"Aa."

Sakura wanted to scream in frustration but she managed to force it down. After the few incidences between them, she felt a little wary of being alone with him. The last thing she needed was to make this odd attraction worse, so the less they were alone, the better. Come to think of it, they did not really need to be alone in the first place, right?

Almost desperately, she turned to Kisame. "You're coming along as well," she declared firmly.

Kisame's teacup paused on its way to his lips. Then he gave her an incredulous look. "What? You can't look after yourself? If you need someone to hold your hand, ask him," he finished with a nudge at Itachi.

Sakura wanted to groan. "Come on, Kisame. See, I'm addressing you nicely. We can all go together. It's not quite the same without you around," she coaxed in her sweetest possible voice.

Kisame choked on his tea, which was not quite the reaction she was looking for. His eyes bulged as he stared at her disbelievingly.

"What the hell is wrong with you, kunoichi? You don't need me for a damned scouting trip. Itachi…" He paused suddenly. Then his gaze snapped to Itachi before returning to her. A stagnant moment passed. Then his expression cleared.

"Oh. Ohhhh… I see…" Kisame drawled slowly.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. What was going on in Shark-Face's head now? She watched warily as his eyes flicked once again to an impassive Itachi before he flashed a knowing grin at her.

Then it clicked. Did Kisame suspect something? That was not possible, right? To her consternation, the Mist shinobi began to chuckle. Her expression instantly darkened. She did not see what was so funny about the situation. His hand landed on her shoulder in a bone-breaking pat, and she immediately shrugged him off. If he did not stop laughing soon, she would punch a hole through his head.

"I get it," Kisame said between his chuckles. "Don't worry, kunoichi. I'm sure Itachi-san will be able to keep his hands to himself." He fixed his eyes onto a stoic Itachi. "Won't you?"

"Aa."

Her face heated up when Kisame's words and Itachi's subsequent response sank in. Clapping her hands to her head, she finally released a short scream of frustration. How did she get herself into this situation? And it did not help that she was blushing like there was no tomorrow. Maybe they would just assume that her reaction was due to anger.

"Sakura-san."

Her eyes snapped up at Itachi's amused voice. "What?" she barked.

"I will not lay my hands on you… unless you ask."

Her jaw dropped while Kisame exploded in a fresh burst of laughter. The nerve of the Uchiha. How dare he say such a thing with that completely impassive face? And it looked as if he meant it as well. Damn it, he must have realized to some extent that she was affected by him after their battle and was now choosing to toy with her.

Fuming, she could only glare at them. Now she was really furious!

Having had enough of being laughed at, she spun around and stomped out of the kitchen.

* * *

Itachi's eyes followed her furious figure until she disappeared from sight. It was then that he realized that perhaps he should not have said what he had said. Those words had been unnecessary. Regardless of his unusual responses to her, he did not wish to give the impression that he was flirting with her.

Was he?

Sitting down at the table, he poured himself a cup of tea while he mulled over the question.

No. It was not in his nature to flirt. He simply found it amusing to watch her react. Especially now that he knew just how affected she was by his presence. Besides, he was not the only one. Kisame tended to get into verbal and physical matches with her and now Itachi understood the reasons behind his partner's acts. The kunoichi has a fiery temper and a violent disposition to match, which made it rather satisfying to rile her.

"So…"

Itachi glanced up to find Kisame watching him with a raised brow. "Yes?"

"Sakura seems… reluctant to be alone with you."

"Aa."

Kisame continued to watch him thoughtfully. Then he snorted with amusement. "That must be a first, eh?"

Itachi knew what Kisame was insinuating. Women tended to want to be alone with him, which meant that he had no lack of bed partners over the years. Sakura had reacted in a completely opposite manner. Still, the topic was irrelevant, considering their true relationship. Perhaps he should make it clear to the Mist shinobi.

"Sakura is merely a comrade, that's all."

Unbidden, the memories of their near-kisses came to mind, mocking his words. Comrades did not behave in such a manner towards each other, unless they were seeking mutual physical satisfaction with no ties. He had established that he felt such an attraction towards her. Therefore, once again, he was forced to ask himself if this was what he sought from the kunoichi.

No. He might find her physically attractive but Itachi found it difficult to place Sakura as a potential candidate for such a physical partnership. She did not appear to be the type who would welcome such an offer. Not that he had any intention of proposing such an alliance in the first place.

However, he would not object if such an alliance were to occur naturally.

"Itachi-san?"

Kisame's voice drew him from his musings. The Mist shinobi was looking at the reddened skin around his forearm. It was the result of the wound inflicted by the kunoichi during their battle yesterday. It was no longer numb with pain, therefore it was bearable.

"You're not asking Sakura to heal that?"

Itachi stood up. "No."

Without another word, he left the kitchen to return to his room. Once there, he gathered his cloak and weapons. Making sure that everything he needed was strapped securely to his person, Itachi then made his way towards Sakura's room. He tapped on the door when he arrived and waited until she exited.

When she did, it did not escape his notice that she was reluctant to meet his eyes. The only sound which could be heard as they walked out of the house was the soft taps of their sandals.

"Where is our destination?" he asked, sliding a sideway glance at her.

"Lightning Country," she replied curtly.

Her tone did not sit well with him and he was hard-pressed to identify the reason behind his reaction. It was clear that she did not wish to speak to him. Was this an indication of how she would behave during this trip? As partners, such non-communication was bound to cause problems.

Compelled to keep her talking, Itachi asked, "Why?"

Her steps slowed slightly as they reached the beach. "What do you mean?"

"Why Lightning Country?"

"The last time I was there was before I joined Akatsuki. There was nothing available then but they should have some interesting jobs by now."

Itachi mentally calculated the distance. "It would take more than a week to reach."

She nodded. "I was thinking that I could find other jobs as well on the way." After a pause, she added, "You don't have to come, you know."

In a measured voice, he replied, "I wish to do so."

Her reluctance was beginning to irk him. If it was not the fact that she had invited Kisame earlier, he would have considered her reaction suspicious. It was obvious that she did not mind company. She only did not wish for his presence. Perhaps she was truly disconcerted by their encounter and had read something into it, especially after what he had said earlier. Such a thing between partners might escalate into something detrimental if he did not clear the air now.

"Sakura-san."

She gave him a questioning look.

"My words earlier were inappropriate. I apologize."

Her eyes instantly widened. Then she turned away, quickly walking down the beach to the boathouse. "You didn't mean it that way, so it's okay. I understand."

"Hm." How could she be so certain what he had meant when he himself could not truly make sense of it?

She paused in front of the boathouse and sighed while her gaze slid to his injured arm. A brief flicker of hesitation appeared in her eyes before it was replaced by resignation.

"Let me heal that before we go."

Deciding that it would be foolish to refuse, Itachi simply nodded.

* * *

The boat took most of the day to bring them to Tea Country, their first stop. When Sakura caught a glimpse of the shore, the first thing which entered her mind was to travel somewhere decent to find an inn to sleep in.

Tea Country itself probably did not have much prospect in terms of lucrative jobs, considering that Deidara and Tobi had just made their move on it a few weeks ago. Even now, as she stepped out onto the shore, Sakura could see the heightened security.

Much to her consternation, she picked out a couple of Leaf chuunins. Were these the ones sent by Tsunade to help out Tea Country? Tsunade also probably called on the Kazekage for help, because Sakura could clearly see a few Sand shinobi milling about. Realizing that she could not allow herself to be spotted, Sakura spun around quickly towards Itachi, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the boat.

The Uchiha did not say a word as she urged him away from the port. In fact, he had been silent ever since they had set sail, not that it was an uncomfortable silence. She wondered if it had anything to do with what he had said to her before they left the island. His words had surprised her. She had not expected him to apologize to her like that but she knew that he meant it.

It had managed to dispel her discomfort around him and she was truly glad for that, otherwise this trip would have been unbearable. In fact, things had felt almost normal between them for the last one day. Was this a sign that her infatuation with him was slowly going away? That was a good thing, wasn't it?

When they were finally hidden behind a noisy tea house, Sakura closed her eyes and released the breath she had been holding. It was not as if she did not want to see a familiar face. But she knew that if she and Itachi were spotted, a fight would ensue and that was the last thing she wanted. There had been enough casualties in this war between Konoha and Akatsuki.

"Sakura-san."

Her eyes snapped open at Itachi's voice. She glanced at him to find his eyes fixed to their joined hands. She immediately released her grip, mortified that she had been holding his wrist for so long. When had she started to feel comfortable enough to grab him like that? And why did he not say something earlier?

Trying to regain her composure, she snuck away to peek out from behind the building. The two Leaf chuunin were still there, but it looked as if they were walking away. Returning to Itachi, she grimaced.

"You saw that, didn't you? Those Leaf shinobi?" she asked softly.

"Aa."

"There are others as well. How is Pein's plan supposed to work when there are so many of them around?"

"That's up to Pein." After a pause, Itachi added, "This is not our mission."

"Right. So let's get out of here, alright?"

"Hm."

They traveled along the coast for several hours before they reached a small village by the sea. By the time they arrived, the sun was already setting. Seeing no signs of foreign shinobi in the place, Sakura decided that they could safely rest in one of the inns for the night. She estimated that it would take them another one and a half days to reach the border of Fire Country and then a few more days to reach Lightning Country and she preferred to be well-rested before the journey. Who knew if they were going to encounter Konoha hunter-nins along the way?

The inn was constructed in a modern manner, simply decorated in neutral earth tones. At the reception, Sakura requested rooms for them and was relieved to find that two rooms were available. The last thing she wanted was to share a room with the Uchiha, which would no doubt renew her awkwardness around him. Idly, she recalled the trick she had played on him and Kisame when she had first joined the Akatsuki. She had no qualms about inviting herself to share their room then, albeit as a joke. If only things were so simple now.

Silently handing Itachi the key to his room, she made her way down the narrow hallway and then up the stairs.

Pausing by the door to her room, she turned to the Uchiha. "I'm going to sleep now. We'll set out again at dawn."

"Hm."

With that, she entered the room and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Arms folded behind his head, Itachi stared up at the shadows on the ceiling. Once again, he was wide awake, unable to rest.

His mind drifted towards the task he had to undertake to further his goal. It would be risky and therefore he had to create a diversion. Konoha, or perhaps Suna, would serve well in this regard, he decided. He would like nothing better than to execute his plan now, he thought as he glanced down at the seal adorning the inside of his left arm. However, it was too soon. The seal required more time to generate enough chakra for his purpose.

Muffled taps against wood caught his attention, drawing him away from his thoughts.

Itachi's gaze immediately slid in the direction of the hallway. From the nature of the sound, it appeared that someone was knocking on the kunoichi's door. Noiselessly, he raised himself from the bed, keeping his chakra masked. Reaching the door, he listened as the kunoichi's door opened.

A gasp of surprise sounded from her. "You! What are you doing here?"

"The innkeeper happened to mention a pink-haired kunoichi," an unfamiliar male voice sounded. "She's one of my contacts."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. Was Pein's suspicion correct after all? Was Sakura betraying them? If that was the case, it was truly foolish of her to continue speaking at her door where anyone could hear their conversation.

"How are things at your end?" the male continued.

"You know how it is," she replied rather vaguely.

A chuckle sounded. "Yes." A pause filled the air, and then he spoke. "Listen, it's a good thing you're here. I've been trying to get hold of you. We need to discuss something."

"Now?" She sounded incredulous.

Or was it due to fear of being found out?

"Yes. Can I come in?" His words carried a tint of suggestiveness.

"No." Her tone was firm. "I'll meet you outside in a couple of minutes."

Itachi's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

* * *

A/N: That's it until next week! Hope you've been entertained, and as always, please review if you could. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Big hugs to the following readers for reviewing! Thank you so much - LuckyRika, ForgiveButNeverForget, Goddess Psyche, crystal teardrops, animal.cracker.assassinator, Goatis, animeismyname, kakashisninjadogs, ArjunaAnja, nekokigin, Kinkatia, Nash87, animechick96, Reimei Hoshi, Incognito Temptation, dumdeedum, SasukeSakuraxXXxItachiSakura, supersillee06, strawberry explosion, sympatheticassassin, Okami Kyohaku, AkatsukiSakura73, aznkitty180, tema-sama, Jester08, monoxidedreams, midnight000shadow, Hao'sAnjul, Passionate Crow Rat, TheChocolateNinja, Lili Hearts Randomness, Illidan the Half Demon, lindajrjt, Rose, Nash87, Ita-ta, May Flyer, Dark Darianna Minamino, Darkened Skyes, S. T. Nickolian, acceptedmisconceptions, Luka1Sakura, sadbird, aGreatPenName, hikaru, fallenleaves142, MaiomilovesShikamaru, AnimeMangaFreak, loveless punk neko, priscalthum and ironidji.

For those who are interested, my Ita-Saku one-shot 'The Chance' will be continued once I finish this story. Otherwise I won't be able to do these weekly updates!

And here is the next installment. Enjoy!

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 16**

Itachi's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Holding himself very still, he waited until the barely audible footsteps passed his door before he moved. Not bothering with his cloak, Itachi went to the window and opened it silently, noting that there was no one downstairs on the streets. In a blink of an eye, he jumped out and immediately slid into a shadowy alley.

A moment later, a male shinobi dressed in black exited the building. It was not anyone Itachi recognized although the man looked somewhat familiar. He frowned, puzzled when he noticed the lack of hitai-ate on the stranger's forehead, even though his chakra distribution indicated that he was a shinobi. So, her contact was a shinobi from an unknown country? Who was she supplying information to? Itachi was under the impression that Pein thought Sakura was betraying them to Konoha.

Then the kunoichi emerged from the inn. Like him, she was not wearing her Akatsuki cloak.

Itachi's eyes trailed after them as they moved silently away from the building. When he decided that it was safe, he began to follow stealthily, keeping himself downwind. Soon, they reached the sea. Snippets of conversation reached him, but he did not hear enough to gather anything useful, so he closed the distance between them until his eyes landed upon two dark figures on the beach.

He watched as Sakura turned to face the shinobi. "What are you doing here, Idate? I thought you never wanted to return."

"I'm here on a mission," he replied. "By the way, I saw Naruto about two weeks ago."

Silence was the kunoichi's only response, but Itachi could see the almost imperceptible stiffening of her shoulders. His suspicion heightened at her reaction. The fact that the kyuubi vessel was mentioned did not look good for the kunoichi. It was beginning to appear as if Pein was right about her after all.

"He was patrolling with some guy that reminded me of Sasuke."

"You know fully well that's not Sasuke." Her voice was tight. "We talked about that."

"Yes. Have you seen Naruto since you left?"

For a long while, the kunoichi did not respond. But when she did, her voice was soft. "A few times."

The shinobi stared at her thoughtfully. "It had not gone well, I take it."

"No."

Itachi found himself growing more puzzled by the moment. One usually did not engage in pointless small talk like this during an information exchange. Furthermore, their tone of conversation did not fit such an occasion. Perhaps they were speaking in codes?

A short pause followed before she asked, "So, what is this all about? Tell me that you didn't drag me out of bed because you want to talk about old times."

The shinobi chuckled. "Oh, yes. You know the mission we did together about half a year ago?"

"The one in Iwa?"

He nodded. "That's the one."

"What about it?" she asked.

"The client got in touch with one of my men. He wants to hire us for another mission. A similar one."

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not a part of your team, though."

"You can do it just this once, like the last time. We'll split the proceeds equally."

"I can't," she insisted.

Running his hand through his hair, the shinobi groaned. "That's not what I want to hear, Sakura. The client specifically asked for you. That's why I put out the word to my contacts to watch out for you."

Itachi frowned as he continued to listen to the conversation. This simply sounded like a normal conversation between two shinobi who had worked together before. Unless they were actually conversing in codes, or exchanging written information, it did not appear as if Sakura was giving away anything to do with Akatsuki.

Deciding that he should move closer just in case any information was being physically handed over, Itachi moved soundlessly in the shadows until the two figures standing on the beach came clearer.

"Come on, Sakura. It can be like old times again. That was a good mission, wasn't it?"

She snorted. "Just because of all the side benefits, you pervert."

"Hey! What did I say about calling me that?"

Side benefits? Could it be what it sounded like? He would not have pegged Sakura as the type to sleep with her partners, especially considering her reaction to him each time they had been physically close. An odd wash of what felt like annoyance coursed through Itachi, puzzling him further. Why should he be annoyed? What the kunoichi wished to do in her free time was none of his concern.

Itachi watched as the shinobi laid a hand on her shoulder. "Sakura, you wound me."

Huffing in exasperation, Sakura asked, "What happened to that innocent boy I met six years ago?"

A sheepish chuckle escaped the shinobi's lips. "I was sixteen then, Sakura. Lots of things had happened since then."

Six years ago? That must be when she was still a genin in Konoha. So this male shinobi was an old acquaintance? The tone of the conversation seemed to be changing, Itachi noted with interest. They were no longer sounded as lighthearted as before.

"Yeah, I know. It must have been hard to start all over, huh?" she murmured.

He shrugged. "I didn't have much of a choice. But at least I already was a genin when I left Konoha, so picking up techniques from all over the place wasn't too hard."

She smiled at him. "If you were still in Konoha, you probably be a jounin by now."

"Technically, I'm a missing-nin like you." He smirked. "If I had known I would end up like this, I would have kept the damn lighting chakra sword for myself. I stole it after all."

"I don't think you need it now. And anyway, if all fails, you can run like always. And leave everyone else behind eating dust," she finished dryly. "Che, now that I think about it, taking a mission with you isn't that great an idea after all."

He smirked. "I promise I'll behave. If I decide to run, I'll carry you with me this time."

She cast him a disbelieving look. "Sure I believe you, Idate. You'll probably run off with the money as well this time."

Itachi's brows rose. So, this shinobi had been a Konoha genin before he became a missing-nin. Now that he thought about it, the name Idate sounded familiar, but he could not place it. Judging by Idate's age, which should be only a year younger than himself, it was possible that Itachi had heard of him in the Academy. Or perhaps he had seen the name while he was an ANBU. However, it was growing increasingly clear that Sakura was not passing any Akatsuki information to this particular shinobi.

Idate took her hands in his. "Come on, Sakura. It's just one mission."

She sighed heavily. "Idate, I can't. Not this time."

As Itachi continued to watch, the shinobi looked down at their joined hands. Even from that distance, Itachi could see Idate's fingers running over the back of her hands. For a moment, he felt another stab of annoyance. This shinobi was disturbingly familiar with the kunoichi, and for some reason, Itachi found himself displeased by it.

"Sakura?"

"Hmm?"

"This ring…"

Itachi could feel the sudden tension filling the air as they stared at each other. So, this Idate had recognized Sakura's Akatsuki ring. It would be interesting to see how they reacted to this.

"You're an Akatsuki now?" he asked, releasing her hands.

"Is there a problem?" Her tone was colder now.

To Itachi's surprise, the shinobi chuckled. "It's a small world."

"What do you mean?"

"You want to know what mission I'm doing here?" He paused briefly before continuing, "We were hired by an Akatsuki. A shinobi with long blonde hair and a ring like yours. Deidara."

Sakura was silent and Itachi felt himself growing tense. Was the one called Idate truly working for Deidara as a part of the Tea Country takeover, or he was simply pretending? What the kunoichi chose to say next would determine her fate in the Akatsuki. Would she disclose what she knew about the Akatsuki and their missions?

"So, what are you guys planning to do in Tea Country?" Idate asked softly.

"I don't know."

"How can you not know? You're a member, aren't you?"

"It's not my mission. I'm just passing through." Her tone was clipped, as if she was trying to discourage more questions.

Idate must have sensed it, for he released a laugh. "Alright, I get it. I won't ask anymore."

She glared at him. "And you had better not talk about your mission to anyone else, either!"

He grinned at her before he slung an arm around her shoulders casually. "Come on now, Sakura. There's no need to get mad at me. At least I know now why you can't join us."

Sakura began to chuckle. "As nice as it is to talk with you I'm going to go back to sleep now."

To Itachi's irritation, Sakura made no move to push Idate away when he dipped his head closer to her. "A kiss for old time's sakes?"

"Idate!"

"Just one!"

"Morino Idate, don't you dare-"

The shinobi captured her lips before she could finish her sentence.

Itachi's eyes instantly narrowed even though he could not understand why the sight aggravated him so. So, there was something between them. For some unfathomable reason, the notion did not sit well with Itachi and he felt an inexplicable urge to interrupt them. However, before he gave in to the urge, Sakura shoved the shinobi away from her, ending the kiss quickly.

"Pervert!" she hissed.

"I'll see you soon, Sakura!" the shinobi called out with a laugh as the kunoichi turned away.

With a roll of her eyes, she walked away from the beach, leaving the smirking shinobi behind.

The unpleasant encounter was finally over, Itachi thought darkly.

Then realization suddenly dawned upon him. Morino Idate. Morino Ibiki. Idate was the Leaf jounin's brother. Could it mean that Sakura was somehow passing information to him after all?

No, it was unlikely. Morino Idate's surprise at finding out that Sakura was an Akatsuki had not been feigned, or he would have noticed it. Therefore, it was highly improbable that Sakura was betraying the Akatsuki to Konoha through Idate.

And yet, Itachi found his gaze following the other shinobi's steps intently as he walked away from the beach. He should make certain that his deductions were correct, and that involved confronting the shinobi. With that thought, Itachi unmasked his chakra just as the other shinobi walked by his hiding place.

Idate immediately tensed and spun around. "Show yourself!"

Unperturbed, Itachi stepped out of the shadows. "You are Morino Ibiki's brother."

Peering at him, the other shinobi frowned thoughtfully for a moment, and then his expression cleared. His tone, however, remained cautious. "Oh, I remember now. Red eyes. Sharingan. You're that genius Uchiha."

They stared at each other for a while longer.

"What do you want?" Idate finally asked.

"You have a report for Deidara?" Itachi asked instead.

Idate's eyes shot towards his hand, pausing on the Akatsuki ring. "So, you're another Akatsuki, huh?" he muttered as he looked back up.

That short eye contact was enough.

In a fraction of a second, Itachi introduced the other shinobi to his genjutsu. While he maintained the illusion, he was hard-pressed to explain the feeling of grim satisfaction coursing though him.

* * *

Sakura was smiling when she entered her room.

What were the chances of her bumping into Idate again? He was still as flirtatious as ever and perhaps had grown to be even more perverted.

The fact that he had tried, and succeeded, in kissing her did not come as a surprise. After all, they had done more than kiss at the end of their shared mission six months ago, even though she insisted on blaming it on the copious amount of sake consumed by both of them. Thankfully, things hadn't gotten too far that night. It would have been awfully awkward otherwise. Being someone that she had known since she was twelve, Idate was a link to her real life, one which she cherished, so she was not planning to ruin their friendship. And as flirtatious as Idate was, she knew that he felt the same.

She stretched, and then reached down to undress. Her hands paused at her waist and she immediately realized something with a groan. Where were her gloves? She had them just now when she left the room, and she remembered that it was there and then…

When comprehension dawned, her eyes narrowed in irritation. She would kill that overgrown thief! Idate had obviously taken her gloves to lure her back out.

Plotting ways of how to pay Idate back for this trick, Sakura marched back out towards the beach, masking her chakra so that she could ambush the thief.

The sight which greeted her was not exactly what she had expected to see. Her eyes widened when she realized that Itachi was standing beside a lump on the beach which looked suspiciously like Idate. What was going on? Did Itachi kill Idate?

Her heart began to pound but she forced herself to take steady steps instead of giving in to the urge to rush forward. Something told her to be cautious.

"Itachi-san," she greeted levelly.

Itachi simply regarded her silently as she stopped beside the unmoving form and knelt down. A quick check told her that Idate was simply knocked out and completely uninjured. Confusion coursed through her. Getting to her feet, she turned towards the Uchiha.

"What's going on?"

For a moment, Itachi did not say anything. Then, when he opened his mouth, his voice was level. "What are you doing here?"

"I came back to get my gloves," she replied before she could wonder why Itachi was out there as well.

"You are acquainted with this shinobi."

It was a statement, not a question. The only conclusion Sakura could arrive at was that Itachi had seen her and Idate together. Was the Uchiha spying on her? Why? Did the Akatsuki send him to do so? Was that why he insisted on following her? Was the Akatsuki suspect her or something? Her mind whirred with the countless possibilities.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. There was only one way to find out. When she opened them again, she stared right into Itachi's crimson eyes.

"Were you spying on me, Itachi-san?"

"Is there a reason for me to do so?"

"What are you doing out here?" she asked instead.

"I was merely talking to him."

"Then why is he unconscious?"

Itachi did not respond.

Her lips thinned. That was a confirmation, alright. But why did he have to knock Idate out? Did Idate get in his way or something? Said something to offend Itachi, maybe? Knowing Idate's mouth, nothing was impossible.

Deciding that she would get nowhere with the unforthcoming Uchiha, she turned back to the unconscious Idate and bent down to hoist him over her shoulders, grimacing as she did so. The man was so much taller than her that she staggered in the attempt. Why did Idate have to grow so tall and muscular? Why couldn't he have remained that skinny boy she had met back when she was twelve?

"What are you doing?"

Trying to hold Idate securely, she did not bother to glance at Itachi before she replied, "Taking him back to my room. I can't just leave him here."

"Why?"

She had to suppress the urge to strangle the impassive Uchiha. "He's a friend, alright? A fellow missing-nin. An ex-mission partner. Take your pick."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Hm."

What the hell was wrong with Itachi tonight? "Itachi-san. He's coming back to my room. Do you have any objection to that?" she asked testily.

The crimson orbs flickered once. Then he turned away from her and began to walk towards then inn.

Sakura rolled her eyes. She would take that as a no.

* * *

It occurred to Itachi that he might be reacting rather inappropriately to the situation. After all, as she had pointed out, the matter had nothing to do with him. Especially after he had searched the shinobi last night and found nothing to indicate that she had passed any information to him. Neither of them had exhibited any signs of pretence, even though the kunoichi now suspected that he had been spying on her. Much as Itachi loathed admitting it, it had been a mistake on his part that he did not expect her to return to the beach.

Still, he could not suppress the annoyance coursing through him right at the sound of muffled laughter filtering through the thin wall between their rooms. The fact that he had stayed up all night last night did not help. He did not have any choice but to do so, for the possibility that he might be wrong and Sakura was indeed passing information to the other shinobi.

The laughter halted the moment Itachi stepped out of his room. It was obvious that they had sensed his presence. Unperturbed, he traveled the short distance to her door and tapped on it. It opened a moment later to reveal a fully-dressed Sakura.

"Itachi-san," she greeted tersely.

"It's time to leave."

Idate stepped up behind her, eyes trained on his crimson ones. There was no mistaking the hostility in those brown orbs. Itachi smirked inwardly, knowing that the gap between their skills were far too great for the missing-nin to be of any threat. And Idate knew it as well.

Deciding not to waste any time, Itachi spun around and made his way down the hallway, leaving Sakura to follow at her own pace. He was forced to stop some distance in front of the inn when he realized that he could not hear her footsteps.

Glancing over his shoulders, he saw the kunoichi bestowing a hug on the other shinobi. Their voices were soft but Itachi could hear that they were simply saying goodbye to each other and yet, there was no mistaking the annoyance surging through him at the sight. Itachi finally surmised that he was simply irked by the fact that the kunoichi was wasting time.

"Let's go?" the kunoichi said when she joined him.

"Hm."

He slid a sideway glance at her as they began to make their way north towards Fire Country. The tension and awkwardness she had displayed over the last two days were no longer present and Itachi could not help but wonder if it had anything to do with the other shinobi. As far as he knew, nothing indicated that anything had happened between Sakura and Idate last night in her room, even though such a thing would explain why the kunoichi might be less tense today.

Deciding that he was entertaining useless questions which were none of his concern in the first place, he broke off the train of thought and refocused his attention on the green landscape before them. They were still in Tea Country, but the forest was growing more lush as they drew closer to Konoha.

They were about half a day's travel away from Konoha when the kunoichi took a detour to seek out one of her contacts. Itachi soon found himself standing outside a wooden building in a small, run-down village. The sign adorning the front of the building proclaimed it to be a messenger service.

"Wait here," the kunoichi said, gesturing at the sidewalk. "This won't take long."

Mindful of his task to observe the kunoichi for any signs of traitorous acts, Itachi shook his head once. "I will go in with you."

Her brows instantly furrowed. "Why?"

"Should there be a reason?" he retorted smoothly.

An impatient huff escaped her. "Fine. Come with me if you want," she declared as she pushed the door open and stepped in.

Itachi followed her into a brightly lit reception area, where Sakura was now talking to a young girl about seeing her employer. He immediately scanned the area for exits and potential traps, and to his satisfaction, saw none.

Finishing her conversation with the girl, Sakura came to his side. "My contact, Kajimaru, will see us in his office."

With a nod, he walked with her past the reception area into an equally bright hallway. It occurred to him then that this place did not seem like one which housed operatives for illegal missions, which would explain why it was still running.

Sakura stopped in front of a solid wood door and knocked, waiting for a gravelly voice to invite her to enter before she pushed the door open. When they stepped in, Itachi's eyes landed on a rotund figure seated behind a messy desk. He was dressed smartly, portraying an image which did not fit one of an underground businessman.

"Ah, Haruno-san," the man greeted as he stood up. Then his eyes widened slightly before wariness stiffened his posture.

"Kajimaru-san," Sakura replied.

"So, the rumors are true," Kajimaru mused thoughtfully. "You are with Akatsuki now. This must be your partner."

Sakura nodded. "Yes. Is that a problem?" she asked evenly.

The man regarded her silently. It was clear that he did not wish to involve himself with anything related to the Akatsuki, Itachi thought in bemusement. Perhaps he feared retaliation from both sides if anything went wrong with the jobs.

"I don't want… complications, Haruno-san." Kajimaru's tone was measured.

"Why should there be any?" the kunoichi retorted. "You still deal through me."

"The terms?"

"Remains unchanged," Sakura confirmed. "Kajimaru-san. I have not failed to deliver the goods on your jobs. You can be assured that with Akatsuki's back-up, you'll see the results even faster."

The uncertainty slowly faded from Kajimaru's expression, although the wariness was still there. "Fine." Kajimaru flicked a glance at him before returning his attention to the kunoichi. "I'll deal with you like before, but not with the Akatsuki. How you handle the job after you get it is none of my business so long as I get what I want."

Sakura frowned deeply. "What's your concern with the Akatsuki?"

Kajimaru's expression hardened. "Everyone out there knows that Konoha is after the Akatsuki. I can't run this business with Konoha sniffing about."

"Fine. I'll keep that in mind. Now, do you have any jobs for me or not?"

Appearing to arrive at a decision, Kajimaru nodded. "One just came in this morning. The other is a mission another shinobi had failed just recently."

"What are the missions?"

"First one is an assassination. The client wants the target dead quickly and quietly. The target is the head of an underground organization. His headquarter is located to the east of Konoha."

Sakura nodded expressionlessly. "The other one?"

"This one is a kidnapping contract. The target is a Leaf shinobi currently in Konoha."

Itachi's brow rose and he spoke for the first time in the meeting. "The name of the target?"

Kajimaru glanced sharply at him, the hesitation in his eyes clear.

"We need to know, Kajimaru-san. Shinobi in general are hard to capture," Sakura explained.

The man finally shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you until you accept the contract. Suffice to say that the target is a well-protected chuunin. The last operative who attempt the kidnap it did not make it out alive."

"I see." Sakura's tone gave away nothing. "Fees?"

"Fifty million Ryou on the assassination and forty-five on the kidnap contract. One third up front and the rest on completion as usual."

Itachi watched as Sakura shook her head slowly, the corner of her lips tilted knowingly. It was obvious that she did not agree with the figures. He had no doubt she would attempt to negotiate now.

"I normally charge sixty million Ryou for assassination."

"The target is an easy one. Is fifty-five acceptable?"

Sakura nodded. "Fine. But if it turns out to be one mess of a job, you owe me another five. As for the second contract, forty-five is nowhere near enough, and you know it. Raise it to seventy million Ryou."

"Sixty," Kajimaru countered.

"Sixty-seven," Sakura bit out in an uncompromising tone. "That mission is a death-trap."

The rotund man released an exasperated sigh. "Sixty-five, and that is as high as I would go. Just so that you know, I'm barely making any money out of this one. I've already lost money because the first shinobi got himself killed. I just want the job gone from my desk."

Sakura beamed. "That's acceptable."

"So? Are you taking them?" Kajimaru asked. "The deadlines are flexible for those two."

"I'll let you know shortly."

Kajimaru's brows furrowed. "Well, don't take too long. Or someone else might come forward."

The kunoichi smirked. "I doubt it."

With that, she walked out of the office. Once outside, she gestured for him to follow her away from the building. Stopping a safe distance away, she turned to face him with a thoughtful furrow between her brows.

"You heard him, right?" She paused briefly before continuing, "I'm not sure I'd want to take those jobs."

"Due to its proximity to Konoha?" he guessed.

She nodded thoughtfully. "It's no secret that Konoha is after us, so it might be more troublesome than it's worth."

"Allow Pein to decide."

"Good idea," she agreed. "I'll send him a message now."

"No," Itachi interjected. "There is something I need to speak to him about, and I will pass on the message."

The kunoichi gave him an odd look before she shrugged. "Suit yourself." She glanced around the clearing in the forest. "You're projecting from here?"

"Aa."

With that, Itachi formed the necessary seals to send a message to Pein. The acknowledgement came almost instantly, establishing a link between them. Moments later, Itachi projected himself to Pein's study in Bird Country.

Pein glanced away from the window where the rain was pouring down heavily. "You have something to report?"

Itachi nodded. "Sakura found two possible missions."

"What are they?"

"An assassination of a non-shinobi located to the east of Konoha for fifty-five million Ryou, and the kidnap of a Leaf shinobi for sixty-five million Ryou. She needs your decision on whether to accept the contracts. The timeframe appears to be flexible."

Pein adopted a thoughtful look. After a while, he said, "Tell her to forgo the kidnapping contract. Breaking into Konoha is not wise considering how close we are to the time for the kyuubi capture. Accept the other one."

"Hm."

"Any update on her movements?"

Knowing exactly what Pein meant, Itachi nodded. "She came into contact with a shinobi called Morino Idate last night."

Pein frowned thoughtfully. "Morino Idate?"

"Aa."

"If I remember correctly, he is one of Deidara's contacts," Pein confirmed. "One hired to disrupt the situation in Tea Country."

Itachi did not feel the need to respond.

"Is that it?" Pein sounded bewildered. "Nothing else out of the ordinary?"

"No."

"Where are you now?"

"Close to Konoha's southern border."

"And Kisame is with you?"

"No."

A thoughtful expression crossed Pein's features, prompting Itachi to wonder what the Akatsuki leader was plotting. Finally, when Pein spoke, his voice was even.

"Don't let Sakura out of your sight until we're certain of her loyalties. And while both of you are close to Konoha, get the assassination contract over with."

Itachi nodded. Oddly, Pein's choice of words made him wonder if the Akatsuki leader was referring to Sakura's loyalties to Konoha or something else. Who could Sakura possibly be betraying the Akatsuki to if not to Konoha?

* * *

Sakura frowned thoughtfully as she stared at the still figure leaning against the side of the building, his hands clasped. Itachi's eyes were closed in concentration as he communicated with Pein.

Something was definitely wrong with the way Itachi acted around her recently.

Now that she thought about it, the first clue had been Itachi's insistence that he followed her on this scouting trip. There was simply no feasible reason for this action, especially considering the fact that she had managed on her own a few months ago.

Next, he had knocked Idate out with his Sharingan. She had suspected that he was spying on her then. Even though Idate was physically unharmed, Sakura knew that Itachi would not do something like that for no reason. So the Uchiha must be after something.

The third clue had been Itachi's presence during her meeting with Kajimaru. Something as simple as retrieving briefs for possible missions certainly did not require Itachi's presence, so why was he following her so closely?

Grimacing, Sakura decided that she had to be more careful around Itachi. If what she suspected was right and he was keeping watch on her, she could not afford to slip up. Surely after this trip, he would realize that his suspicions were unfounded. Especially since she had no intention of contacting Tsunade just yet. There was no point in doing so anyway since they have not settled upon any missions yet.

In fact, just to be safe, she would refrain from contacting Tsunade altogether until she found out about the Akatsuki's plans for Naruto. Though that could prove to be a problem if the Akatsuki took the kidnapping contract. Should she warn Tsunade then? It was the safety of one Leaf chuunin against the potential failure of her mission. Still, even though she could not afford to mess her mission, Sakura found herself reluctant to sacrifice one innocent Leaf shinobi.

The slight flare of chakra drew her out of her contemplations and Sakura slid her glance sideways to see Itachi emerging from the jutsu.

"So?" she prompted, keeping her expression even.

"Pein decided to accept the assassination mission."

"The other one?"

"Not worth the risk."

Sakura had to stop herself from sagging in relief. Even though the assassination mission was not something she liked either, she figured that it could be worse. After all, the target was the head of an underground organization. It was almost like those missions she had done before for Konoha.

Feeling a little lighter, but reminding herself to be wary around Itachi, Sakura smiled. "Let's go tell Kajimaru the good news. Then we'll slot it either before or after the jobs I'll find in Lightning."

"The assassination contract is to be carried out now."

Her brows rose. "Now?" That meant that she and Itachi had to carry it out instead of her allocating it to Deidara and Tobi.

"Aa."

Itachi was still staring at her questioningly, waiting for her response. Knowing that she could not very well say that she disliked assassinations, she simply nodded her agreement. Chances were, Itachi would be the one to carry it out anyway, while she provided backup.

As they walked back to the building, Sakura suddenly realized that the awkwardness she felt around Itachi was almost gone. Relief, mixed with something else she could not identify, washed over her at the thought. With everything that had happened in the last few days, she had probably gotten over her infatuation with the Uchiha.

And that was a good thing, wasn't it?

An irate Inner Sakura jumped into her mind suddenly. 'Let's not delude yourself. You're not that stupid!'

Sakura scowled. What the hell was Inner Sakura babbling about? She was not deluding herself. It was clear that she had gotten over Itachi.

Inner Sakura smirked. 'Or it could mean that you got used to the idea.'

Not a chance, Sakura thought vehemently. There was no way she could accept the idea of Itachi being more than an Akatsuki member that she had to bring down. She was a Leaf kunoichi on a mission. Things like infatuations and crushes were completely out of place in this sort of setting.

Inner Sakura snorted in disbelief but said nothing more, much to Sakura's relief.

* * *

The room was warm, scented with the woody smell from the furniture. In the middle of the space, a wide table graced the floor, surrounded by many empty chairs and four occupants. Most disturbingly, for such a large space, there were no windows and the only illumination in the room came from the bulbs above.

Was the lights overhead flickering or was it just his imagination? Shikamaru could not tell and he could not be bothered to find out. The fact that he and Tsunade were in the meeting room with the two council elders, hearing their pointless words, was enough to make him wish that he was out there watching the clouds sail by. He could not even glance out of the window because there were no windows.

Why must the Hokage insist on his presence? He had done his part after all, coming up with the most effective strategy to placate the council and at the same time, keep Sakura's true mission under wraps. Between the council whining about the kyuubi and the issue with the Akatsuki spies, Shikamaru could not help but wonder when this whole thing would end.

Sliding his eyes listlessly across the wrinkled faces of the two elderly council members, Shikamaru stifled the urge to yawn. Che! This was so troublesome.

The elder lifted her chin. "So why is it that the hachibi could be extracted from him and not from Uzumaki Naruto?"

Tsunade's brows drew closer. "Tch! How many times must I say it? The jutsu performed on Akira is not something familiar to us."

Shikamaru lifted his gaze to the ceiling as he wondered how Tsunade could act so convincingly. The jutsu that had been performed on Akira was only unfamiliar in the sense that it had been modified, but Tsunade made it sound as if it was a completely different jutsu.

"It would help if the kyuubi was removed from Naruto and kept somewhere secure until we learn how to control it."

"That is something that I'm working towards," Tsunade ground out impatiently. "I just need time."

"And in the meantime, Uzumaki Naruto should remain in Konoha."

"If that's what it takes to get you two off my back, then yes, he will remain in Konoha!" Tsunade snapped.

Bemused by the Hokage's convincing act, Shikamaru suppressed the urge to shake his head. He had predicted that the council elders would insist upon this. Therefore, to throw them off the scent, they had decided that Naruto would remain in Konoha.

In his bunshin form.

That way, most people, including the Akatsuki spies, would think that Naruto was still in Konoha while the real Naruto was out there carrying out his ANBU missions. And if the spies did their job, Akatsuki would come straight to Konoha for the kyuubi. This was the most logical strategy as far as Shikamaru was concerned because then, they would be fighting the Akatsuki on familiar grounds.

The door suddenly burst open, jolting Shikamaru out of his musings.

"Tsunade-Baachan!"

Shikamaru slumped slightly at the sight of a frantic Naruto. His mode of entry would no doubt rile the two council elders and Tsunade. Honestly, after so many years of being told off, one would think that Naruto would learn.

Predictably, Tsunade shot to her feet, her eyes flashing angrily. "Uzumaki! How many times must I tell you not to interrupt?!"

"It's important!"

"Whatever it is, it can wait until this meeting is over."

"No. You got to stop Akira from leaving."

At his words, Shikamaru straightened. "Akira is leaving?"

Nodding vigorously, Naruto explained. "We were eating ramen a while ago and he mentioned leaving. I don't want to say anything to him until I ask Baachan, but can he stay in Konoha?"

Frowning in disapproval, the elder pointed out, "He is not a Leaf shinobi."

Naruto groaned in frustration. "I know he's not a Leaf shinobi but it's not like he has anywhere else to go."

"He has to swear allegiance to Leaf if he wants to stay." Tsunade paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Does he want to stay in the first place?"

"Er…" Naruto faltered uncertainly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know."

A huff of exasperation escaped Tsunade. "Then why are you here talking about him staying?! If he doesn't want to stay, then let him leave."

"But-"

"That's enough, Uzumaki. Out. NOW!"

"So what do I tell him?" Naruto persisted.

Shikamaru decided to interject before the bad-tempered Hokage lose the tiny bit of patience she had. "Eh, Naruto, why don't you ask Akira if he wants to stay in the first place?"

With obvious reluctance, Naruto finally nodded. "Fine."

* * *

Konoha.

Ever since their meeting with Kajimaru earlier, she had been thinking about the place where she had spent most of her life in. It seemed like forever since she had last set foot in Konoha; the last time had been when she escaped the pursuit of her friends to become a missing-nin.

When would she be allowed back again? Tsunade had said that her status would be reversed once her mission was done. But would it be so easy? Sakura doubt it. Reversing her missing-nin status was one thing, but she would still be hunted by the rest of the hidden villages considering that she had committed all those crimes which earned her a place in the Bingo Book.

Streaking between the trees in the forest which were growing increasingly dense as their approached Fire Country, Sakura could not help but felt a bit homesick. They had rushed by Konoha only a couple of months or so ago, and she did not get the chance to see much then. The urge to step into her home country was suddenly so acute that she could almost taste it.

However, since they had been delayed by the prolonged discussion with Kajimaru to agree on the deadline, the sky was dark when they reached the border between Tea Country and Fire Country. Deciding to stop for the night, they found a secluded clearing in the dense forest which suited their purpose.

It was then that she sensed the approach of a familiar presence.

Frowning slightly in confusion, Sakura turned to the stoic Uchiha. "Do you sense Deidara?"

"Aa."

Not long afterwards, the blonde Akatsuki appeared from the surrounding forest.

"I thought I sensed you two," Deidara said as he walked up to them.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked curiously. "Aren't you supposed to be laying low?"

"I'm heading west to join Kisame. Pein's orders."

"Oh?" Blinking, she turned to Itachi. "Pein didn't say anything about that to you, did he?"

The Uchiha simply shook his head but Sakura caught the odd flicker in his eyes. Did Itachi know something after all?

Deidara shrugged. "It's probably just a last minute thing, yeah. With both of you out here, Kisame is stuck on that island alone."

"Where is Tobi?" Itachi asked.

"He's not coming." Glancing around, Deidara added, "So, mind if I join you?"

Sakura gestured to the clearing. "Might as well. Then we each get more sleep."

With that, she and Deidara busied themselves setting up camp while Itachi went off to find them something to eat. A while later, he returned with a couple of wild birds which ended up sizzling on sticks next to the fire. It did not take long to cook the birds and soon, they were eating silently, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts. Seated at the base of a tree, Deidara began to mold something using his clay once he finished his dinner.

Sakura could not help but notice that the blonde seemed a little quieter than usual. At one time, she would have been less inclined to approach him, but the scowling-pouting-smirking blonde had grown on her over the past few months. And much as it disturbed her to admit it, the reason for her concern was not purely professional. She actually wanted to know if Deidara was alright.

Deciding to give in to the urge to talk to him, she shuffled closer to Deidara.

"What's wrong?" she asked, seating herself beside him.

Without looking up, the blonde muttered, "What are you talking about? Nothing's wrong."

She released a huff of exasperation. "Look, it's obvious that something is bothering you."

Deidara's brows furrowed. "I'm not sure, yeah," he finally said.

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

He hesitated for a while, and then he said, "It's about Tobi and Pein. Something… is not quite right between them."

Not knowing what to say, Sakura remained silent as she snuck a glance at Itachi. The Uchiha seemed to be listening quite intently, although he did not say a word. She supposed she should expect it, considering how Itachi had watched Tobi in the past. There was definitely something strange going on there, especially with what Deidara was telling her now.

"You know what Tobi is like, yeah? All cheerful and stuff."

"So?" Sakura prompted, wondering what Deidara was getting at.

"When I heard them a few days ago, he sounded completely different. Like he's a completely different person. Why do you think that is, hm?"

Sakura shrugged, forcing herself to appear casual. "Umm… I don't know. Maybe he was just having a bad day?"

Deidara shook his head. "I've been partnered with him for the last three years, yeah. He never had a bad day."

"What were they talking about?" Itachi asked suddenly from the other end of the clearing.

Deidara looked startled. It was as if he had forgotten that Itachi was there. Then he turned back to his clay figurine. "Tobi said something about retrieving some stolen power."

"Huh?" Sakura frowned. "The only power we're going for are the one from the bijuu. So what stolen power was he talking about?"

"I couldn't make the rest out. Whatever it is, it is not something good, yeah."

"Hm."

Sakura tapped her chin thoughtfully. "None of the records mentioned what we're going to do with the power once we get it. Aside from the fact that it's going to be used to take over all the shinobi nations."

Deidara raised a brow at her. "You're not the only one who doesn't know, yeah. Pein said to wait and we'll see. He hinted that we'll each get a chunk of the bijuu's power."

"I can't see how that could work," she said thoughtfully. "Don't we have to effectively be a jinchuuriki to get the power?"

"Yeah, it sounds off to me too." He scowled. "For all we know, we're just being used and when everything is done, we'll be discarded like some useless shit."

Before Sakura could say a word, Itachi glanced at Deidara sharply. "Do you wish to defect then?"

Deidara's scowl deepened. "What is it to you? So what will you do if I choose to defect, hm? Do what you did the last time?"

The sudden drop in temperature brought a frown to Sakura's features. "What are you talking about, Deidara?" she asked cautiously.

The blonde jerked a thumb at the impassive Uchiha. "He tricked me into joining Akatsuki in an unfair fight, yeah."

She cast a bewildered look at Itachi, who appeared completely unperturbed. "You did?"

"It was a fair fight. He simply had not been prepared to counter my genjutsu."

The expression in Deidara's eyes hardened. "And now I can."

Itachi cast him with a stony look.

Uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere, Sakura let out a small laugh. "Hey, let's not argue, alright?"

"Hm." Directing his gaze away from them, the Uchiha stood up. "I'll take the third watch."

Before she could say another word, Itachi walked away, leaving her alone with Deidara.

"Cheerful bastard, isn't he?" Deidara remarked snidely.

"I wonder where he's going," Sakura muttered.

"Who cares, yeah?"

Deciding to continue to conversation earlier, she turned to face the scowling blonde. His revelation had been unexpected. Coupled with the fact that Kisame had joined through Itachi, she was beginning to wonder if the Uchiha was the designated recruitment officer. She had been under the impression that all of them joined willingly. But from the sounds of it, Itachi had forced Deidara into Akatsuki.

"So, why didn't you leave if you don't like it?" she asked.

"It would be pointless. They'll just continue to hunt me down." He shrugged. "So I thought, why not just stay, yeah? I still get to blow things up."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Figures that you would think like that."

He smirked. "So, why did you leave Konoha, hm?"

Her eyes lowered to her clasped hands so that he could not see her expression. Despite his erratic moods and carefree manner, she knew that Deidara was not stupid. She could not possibly tell him the truth but for some reason, she did not want to lie to him outright either. It was strange. She should not have any qualms about being dishonest with Deidara but like with Kisame, she could not bring herself to do it.

"I suppose you could say that I want to make a difference," she finally replied with a grin.

He raised a brow. "I spill my guts and you're still keeping secrets from me? How's that fair, hm?"

Grin widening, Sakura reached out to prod his side, eliciting an indignant yell of protest from the blonde. "Consider it payment for all the times I healed you."

"Hey! I didn't ask you to heal me, yeah. You did it voluntarily."

"You didn't protest, did you?"

He groaned. "Shut up and go to sleep, yeah, kunoichi."

"You're picking up bad habits from Kisame," she grumbled. "That ass just refuses to use my name."

"He will probably do it if you stop calling him Shark-Face, yeah," Deidara pointed out with a chuckle.

"I'll do it when he calls me by name," she huffed.

Deidara laughed out loud then, shaking his head. "Not going to budge an inch, hm? You're one stubborn one, aren't you?"

Sakura grinned, feeling strangely lighthearted as they continued to banter.

* * *

By the time Itachi returned to the clearing, the kunoichi had already fallen asleep while Deidara stood watch. The blonde Akatsuki cast him a level look but said nothing as Itachi gestured for him to rest.

As Deidara closed his eyes, Itachi sat down against a tree, mulling over what the blonde had said earlier. It seemed that Tobi was growing careless. Perhaps it was due to the approach of the kyuubi's capture.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. If his suspicion was correct, Tobi would reveal his true identity when he obtained what he wished from the final bijuu. All he had to do then was to attack right after the extraction, when Tobi's chakra was low, just before the masked shinobi took anything from the statue. The timing was critical but Itachi was confident that he would be able to execute the plan efficiently. There was of course another step which he had to overcome before he could do so.

He slid a glance down to his arm. Much to his annoyance, the seal had not matured to the point where it could be self-supporting, therefore it was still utilizing his chakra to perform its task. This could turn out to be a problem if he had to enter a serious battle. Already, the one he had with the kunoichi had not been easy due to the jutsu's effect. Itachi only hoped that his estimation was correct and in a week or so, he would be at his full power again, allowing him to progress with the next stage of his plan.

Soon, rays of soft light filtered through between the trees, signaling the approach of dawn. Knowing that it was time for them to move again, Itachi was about to wake the other two Akatsuki up when both of them stirred.

His gaze slanted towards the kunoichi as she stood up and stretched.

"You're back," she murmured absently.

"Hm."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she peered at him. "Did you sleep last night?"

A little surprised by her ability to tell and uncertain how he should respond, for her curious nature would undoubtedly demand to know the reason, Itachi simply inclined his head. The look on her features told him that she was unconvinced but it did not matter as long as she ceased her questions.

Deidara's voice rang through the clearing, drawing her attention away. "All this traveling while trying to lay low is hell," he declared moodily.

The kunoichi chuckled. "Missing your clay birds already?"

Deidara scowled. "You can't even begin to guess, yeah."

"Well, I'm going to take a dip in the nearby lake." She cast Deidara a pointed look. "If you're smart…"

Deidara adopted an offended look. "What are you trying to say, Sakura? I'm not planning to look, yeah. Besides, I have to go now."

She nodded. "Well, we're going to have to move soon as well."

Raising a hand, Deidara declared, "Until the next mission then."

"You bet," the kunoichi responded with a grin.

Once Deidara had left, Sakura glanced at him briefly before she began to walk away from the centre of the clearing. For a moment, Itachi wondered if he should follow her. After all, he was meant to watch her closely. What if she chose to take a detour?

Following her this time, however, would no doubt present him with a view of her nude form if she was truly intending to bathe. As tempting as it was for his masculine senses, Itachi knew that such a thing was unwise, considering his recent preoccupation with her. The physical attraction between them was already distracting, therefore he should not exacerbate the matter. Not to mention she would not take it too well if she found that he had been spying on her while she was bathing.

Besides, Pein would never know as long as he said nothing. In fact, Itachi was growing increasingly annoyed at the Akatsuki's leader's distrust of everything. It made it more difficult to progress with his own plans. Perhaps if Pein was to be convinced that Sakura was not a spy, then he would turn his suspicions elsewhere outside the Akatsuki.

With that thought, Itachi glanced at the kunoichi as she passed. "Do not linger," he intoned.

"I'll be back in no time."

With that, she disappeared into the forest.

* * *

Sakura inhaled deeply as she reached the bank surrounding the crystal clear water of the lake. The air was fresh and crisp, instantly invigorating her. Deciding to move a little further from their campsite, she walked around the lake until she reached the other side. Since she was bathing, she would like a little privacy.

Considering how closely Itachi had been watching her recently, Sakura could not help but wonder if he was hiding somewhere in the trees with his chakra masked. When the imagery of Itachi doing such a thing presented itself, she chuckled lightly. Somehow, she doubted that Itachi was the kind to spy on women while they were bathing. After all, he had only looked at her in the hotsprings after she had marched into the men's section on her own volition.

She shrugged. Even if he chose to spy on her today, he would see nothing interesting because she would not strip outdoors and leave herself vulnerable.

With that thought, she placed her Akatsuki cloak on the bank and jumped into the water fully clothed. A gasp escaped her lips when frigid water surrounded her, making her shiver slightly. Wanting to get back out as soon as she could, Sakura quickly washed herself through her clothes.

When she was satisfied that she was as clean as she could be, she quickly stepped out of the water. A quick series of seals brought forth warm tendrils of air to curl around her. Once her clothes were dry, she allowed the warm wind around her to die down slowly.

Finished with her bath, she shrugged on her Akatsuki cloak and began to backtrack, intent on continuing their journey.

It was then that a familiar presence reached her, stilling her steps. All of a sudden, her breath caught in her chest as recognition dawned and Sakura found herself rooted to the spot. It was coming closer by the second, obviously heading towards her.

Then, without a single warning, the object of her attention landed right in front of her.

"Sasuke…" she whispered in tremulously.

* * *

A/N: Some of you have been asking about Sasuke, and here he is! Hope you liked the chapter, and as always, I'd love it if you could review. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Sorry I'm one day late in updating. I just moved house and was stuck setting up everything, not to mention the phone and the Internet are not connected yet! I'll try my best to be on schedule next week, but it might slip a couple of days until I get the house in order. Anyway, I had such a pleasant surprise when I came to work to find all the reviews you guys left me – it really made my day. So… instead of a hug, I'll glomp all of you this time! Thanks so much!

Okay, some of you asked questions about this story and here are the answers; As of this chapter, the story had just entered its second half. The final chapter of this story should be Chapter 32. As for following the manga, I've followed it until chapter 353, after the Sasuke-Orochimaru fight. Beyond this point, the canon facts are distorted. As for the kidnapping contract, the target is Hyuuga Hanabi, but I didn't think to elaborate because it's not part of the plot.

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 17**

"Sasuke…" she whispered tremulously.

He was the last person she had expected to see and she was only capable of staring back at him in shock. On the other hand, from what she could tell, he was only mildly surprised to see her. Perhaps she shouldn't expect otherwise, seeing that Sasuke had always been rather proficient at hiding his feelings.

Sasuke was dressed the way she remembered from their last encounter, with the purple ribbon around his waist constantly reminding her of the pain she and Naruto had gone through in trying to retrieve him from Orochimaru. Reminding her that this was no longer the boy she had been infatuated with. Reminding her that he was traveling with a new team, one which might show up at any moment now.

"Sakura," Sasuke greeted smoothly. With only a small hint of surprise present on his features, his gaze traveled down her form assessingly. "When did you join the Akatsuki, Sakura?"

For some reason, his tone grated at her nerves. "Why, Sasuke? Still think I'm too weak to take care of myself?" she responded calmly.

He raised a brow. "You're obviously not weak, judging by your current loyalties. Don't you think?"

"You're probably not the best person to discuss loyalties." Her tone was flat.

Smirking, he took a step towards her. "You've changed."

Willing herself not to step backwards away from him, Sakura tilted her chin slightly. "Funny you should say that."

"I would never have guessed that you'd have the guts to leave Konoha."

She closed her eyes briefly. If only he knew the truth. Voice steady, she said, "You don't know me anymore. When was the last time we really talked, hm? When we were twelve? It was more than six years ago. Six years is a long time, isn't it, Sasuke?"

His eyes softened a fraction, and the corner of his lips tilted. "I suppose so."

"Why are you here? Where is your new team?"

"Why are you with the Akatsuki?" he asked instead.

"I believe you lost the right to question me when you tried to kill me the last time we met," she retorted dryly. "Tell me, Sasuke. How many have you killed over the years?"

"My objective necessitates a certain amount of killing."

She snorted. "Your objective, huh."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I've explained it before and yet, you still don't understand. And you never will." His voice was hard.

"That's not an excuse for wanting to kill the rest of us. Every time we met, you tried to kill us."

"You were in my way."

"In your way?" she echoed disbelievingly. Were she and Naruto so unimportant that he could simply dismiss them like that? No, she would not think like that. She was done thinking about how Sasuke perceived her. Her voice was hard when she bit out, "As far as you're concerned, everyone is in your way."

His lips thinned. "I only wanted to disable you, to stop you all from interfering with my plans." This time, he sounded impatient.

"Sasuke, you tried to use Chidori on me," she pointed out accusingly.

"You would have avoided it. At most, it would only graze you. Or am I giving you too much credit?"

Her lips parted in shock. What was he trying to tell her? That he had not intended to kill her after all? Was he really trying to just slow them down by injuring them badly? She did not understand. He had that killer intent in his eyes when he charged at her back then.

"So, if Kakashi didn't push me out of the way…"

"You would have avoided it," he reiterated.

A bitter smile crossed her lips. He sounded so confident in her abilities. If only he had sounded like that when they had been a team, he could have saved her a lot of self-doubt. But all of that was history now. It was almost sad, really. Still, she was grateful that he had effectively told her that he acknowledged her skills.

Her voice was soft when she murmured, "Thank you, Sasuke, for saying that."

His eyes widened slightly. "Sakura…" he faltered momentarily. And then his expression hardened again. "I do what I need to do to achieve my goals. Sometimes, things get in the way."

Those words were like a cold splash on her. "I see. So, as long as you get what you want in the end, a few casualties wouldn't matter. I wonder how those innocent people would think of it."

He tensed. "You are still as annoying as ever."

Her hands clenched into tight fists. The word 'annoying' rang in her ears, fuelling her temper. How could he have changed into this over the years? How could he become so cold, so unfeeling? They used to be friends and unbelievably, Naruto still thought of him as a friend.

"Besides, you are consorting with one who murdered his entire clan, so you have no right to point fingers, Sakura."

A sudden chill washed over her when his words sank in. She had almost forgotten about Itachi in the shock of meeting Sasuke. Of course she and Sasuke would meet sooner or later. Sasuke was after Itachi after all and was most probably tracking him all this time. In fact, now that she thought about it, she wondered why Sasuke had not appeared earlier. She had been with Itachi and Deidara then and this conversation would never have taken place because Sasuke's attention would be fully focused on killing his brother.

A shiver ran down her spine the imagery of Itachi on his back, bleeding from a wound through his heart, staring up at a darkly triumphant Sasuke. Sasuke's will to avenge his clan was so strong that he had gone to such extremes to seek power. It probably had not been easy for him, but Sakura was fairly certain that the thought of his brother dead was enough to push him through whatever hardship he had to endure. But what then? What would he do if he managed to kill Itachi?

"Will you go back to Konoha after you killed Itachi?" she asked.

He stared at her for a long moment. When he replied, his tone was bland. "Perhaps."

"What are you planning to do then?"

"Revive my clan."

Sakura averted her eyes. Sasuke's entire life revolved around his clan. It was heart-wrenching and pitiful at the same time. When would he stop? Would he ever revert back to the Sasuke she had known?

"Tell me where he is, Sakura."

Her eyes shot up to his. Itachi was not far from them but she could hardly lead Sasuke to his brother just like that. It would be seen as being traitorous to the Akatsuki, which would in turn, jeopardized her Konoha mission. On the other hand, if she led Sasuke to Itachi, maybe he would finally get his revenge and then return to Konoha and then Naruto would be happy.

What should she do?

Her dilemma was solved when she felt a familiar prickle of awareness. Instantly, Sakura fought to keep her expression even. Itachi had found them and he was keeping his chakra masked. Come to think of it, she did not even know how she knew that he was there watching them. Working with him all these months must have generated some sort of attunement between them.

Considering how Itachi had been spying on her, it occurred to her that this event was a good opportunity for her to convince Itachi that she was on Akatsuki's side. So, the choice was clear and she just had to make it look convincing. She only hoped that Sasuke would leave before Itachi chose to show himself.

Sasuke took a slow step towards her, breaking her train of thought. "Sakura, do not protect Itachi. He's a murderer, a criminal."

"All of us are." Her tone was dry.

"Not you."

Sakura found herself unable to respond.

His expression softening slightly, Sasuke asked, "Remember what you said the day I left?"

She sucked in a sharp breath. It was low of him to bring something like that up to manipulate her to his side. That was one of the most painful events in her life. Even though six years had passed since then, she could almost feel the sting of tears in her eyes as her heart twisted in the desperate need for him to remain with them in Konoha. For him to not break apart Team 7.

"Do you remember, Sakura?"

She forced herself to remain calm. "Maybe you should remind me. I said a lot of things when I was twelve."

His lips twisted ruefully. "You said you would do anything to make me happy. Remember? You said you love me with all your heart."

Her throat constricted with the emotion long buried but far from forgotten. She had been so in love with him then. She had even continued to love him for years until that battle two years ago, when he had completely shattered her faith in him. Perhaps after everything, she still loved him in some ways. She was just no longer in love with him.

And that made all the difference.

* * *

Hidden behind the dense foliage, Itachi kept his presence completely masked as he watched the scene unfolding before him.

Initially, he had been hesitant to follow the path she had taken, for he had no desire to face the awkward confrontation that would certainly take place if he was to find her nude. Previous encounters had told him that it would be rather unpleasant. However, as time passed, his suspicions had grown as the kunoichi had taken far longer than was acceptable for a simple bath.

Finally deciding to risk the potential confrontation, he had proceeded to track her down. To his surprise, he had found her facing his little brother. The conversation that had commenced had been interesting indeed and somewhat unexpected. Little did he know that his own Akatsuki partner had once claimed to love his foolish little brother.

What was most perplexing was his own annoyance when Sasuke had disclosed that little fact. Perhaps he was simply displeased that his own partner was weak enough to succumb to such a useless emotion, let alone direct it towards one such as Sasuke. The fact that she had been twelve when it occurred did not matter, for most shinobi would have matured by then, due to the nature of their occupation.

"You were even willing to leave Konoha with me," Sasuke continued.

Wondering how Sakura would choose to respond to his brother's words, Itachi continued to watch as the kunoichi stiffened visibly.

Shaking her head slowly, she replied, "I might feel that way at that time, but not anymore, Sasuke."

"Your words mean so little then?" Sasuke challenged.

"Those words were meant for someone else. Someone who no longer exists." Her tone was flat.

"You're wrong. All I wanted then was revenge. That hasn't changed." His tone grew more urgent when he went on, "Sakura, don't stand in my way. You know where he is, so tell me."

"Find him if you can, but I'm telling you nothing."

Itachi smirked at the visible tensing of his little brother's form. Sasuke was obviously angered by her words, considering how his chakra was flaring out.

"What is he to you that you have to protect him, huh?!" Sasuke snarled, displaying emotion for the first time in the confrontation.

"He's my comrade," she declared tersely.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "It seems that I've misjudged you, Sakura. I never thought that you'd turn out like this, a criminal like him."

"And I never thought that you'd run off to Orochimaru to seek power, leaving me and Naruto like we're nothing to you," she retorted icily. "Don't point fingers at others when you're not that innocent yourself."

"I suppose in that case, I'd just have to beat the information out of you."

Sakura smirked. "If that's what you think will work, feel free to try it."

"I will not hold back," he warned.

"Neither will I," she replied as she pressed her fingers to her eyes.

Itachi watched from the distance as her eyes took on the familiar green glow of chakra. She would certainly need it, from what he had heard of his little brother's antics over the years. If Sasuke had managed to kill Orochimaru, then it was clear that he had improved. The question was, how much? Was it enough for Sasuke to exact revenge on the clan?

In the midst of all his own plans, Itachi had pushed this issue to the back of his mind. The last thing he had expected was for Sasuke to make his appearance now. But he should not be surprised. After all, he had given Sasuke enough reasons to do so.

For a moment, Itachi allowed himself to recall the events of that fateful night.

_It was foolish to remain in the compound, but Itachi did anyway. He had to wait for his brother to return; he had to wait for the other survivor of the clan massacre. There was one other thing for him to do before he left the village he had grown up in._

_Now that this had happened, his plan was no longer as simple as to leave Konoha. In the hours that he had been waiting, he had arrived at a conclusion. There was another party involved, and Itachi suspected that it could only be the Sharingan-wielding man at the compound gate earlier. _

_The reason behind the action was unclear, but the objective could only be one thing; the elimination of the Uchiha clan. Whoever that had set this up possessed a much greater knowledge of the Sharingan's ability. And most likely harbored a grudge towards the Uchiha clan, even though the fact that the stranger possessed the Sharingan gave him away as an Uchiha himself._

_The massacre had been brutal and yet, Itachi felt nothing for them as he slaughtered the remaining members of the clan. Those fools had deserved to die. Itachi's hands clenched. What he resented was the fact that he had been manipulated like a tool by this stranger. And now there were only two of them left. Him and Sasuke. _

_He had no wish to tend to Sasuke. Itachi was not even certain why he wished for Sasuke to survive but the notion of Sasuke being killed did not sit well with him. Perhaps he simply wanted someone to compare with, someone with the potential to offer him a worthy challenge some day._

_However, his brother was young and weak. And in order for Sasuke to grow powerful to protect himself, he must be broken out of his childhood. Without the clan's chokehold, Sasuke would be free to explore his potential fully. Otherwise it would be a waste of talent. The only thing his little brother required as an encouragement was hatred. Sheer hatred would drive Sasuke to seek power. Considering the current circumstances, that would not be too hard to achieve._

_As if on cue, Itachi heard the sound of tentative footsteps approaching the hall. Sasuke had returned and if he had followed his usual route, he would have known that something was amiss. Silently waiting, Itachi stood beside his parents' bodies, his eyes fixed to the door._

_A moment later, the door opened to reveal the anxious figure of his little brother. Then Sasuke's gaze lowered to the unmoving forms of their parents. Lips parting as his eyes widened in horror, Sasuke released a choked cry._

"_Nii-san! Okaa-san and Otou-san… they are… WHY? WHY? Who could have-"_

_Itachi raised a shuriken but deliberately missed hitting his target when Sasuke made no move to react. His eyes narrowed in disapproval as Sasuke only stared at him, incomprehension filling his features. If Sasuke could not handle a simple attack like that, what hope did he have? He was simply wasting his potential like the rest of the slaughtered Uchiha. _

"_Nii-san…What are you doing?" Sasuke whispered shakily._

"_Foolish little brother."_

_He would perform his last duty as the elder brother. Before he left, he would make sure that Sasuke had a reason to grow powerful. There was only one thing left to do. One thing to instill a burning hatred in his brother, so that he would live with a hunger for power. _

"_Mangekyou Sharingan."_

_Sasuke let out a choked cry as he was drawn into the doujutsu. With the Mangekyou, Itachi showed Sasuke the events of the last few hours. He showed Sasuke the images of those who had been slaughtered by his own hands, how the mangled bodies fell one after another, soaking the dusty ground of the compound with their blood. Their cries of pain had echoed on and on, as if it was never going to end. _

_Then it was over. Itachi watched as Sasuke slumped to his knees and panted, his small body quivering at the experience. _

"_W-Why?" Ragged breaths continued to shake Sasuke's body. "Why did you kill them?"_

"_To gauge my potential."_

"_Just for that, you killed everyone?"_

"_It was necessary."_

_A choked sob escaped Sasuke. _

Itachi's recollection was broken suddenly by a sudden flare of brightness. Returning his attention to the other two shinobi, he noted that Sasuke had begun the fight with the Uchiha clan's standard fireball technique. The kunoichi quickly countered with an earth jutsu, smothering the flames instantly.

For a brief moment, Itachi considered revealing his presence. However, the notion was quickly dismissed. The time was not right seeing that he had other tasks to complete before he engaged his brother in the pointless battle. Furthermore, with the uncertain condition the seal was in, it would be foolish to do so.

Perhaps Sakura would incapacitate Sasuke enough to deter him.

At least for a while, Itachi thought as both of them streaked towards each other in a flash.

* * *

Sakura breathed in deeply to steady herself as she eyed the Uchiha warily. Sasuke had not been joking when said that he would not hold back. They had been fighting for a while now, and even though neither of them gained the upper hand, it was clear that this was no easy battle. Sasuke was bent on defeating her to force her to reveal Itachi's location, but she had no intention of allowing him to do so.

She kept reminding herself that Itachi was watching the fight. What she did not know was his reasons for staying back like that. However, it meant that she could not afford to do or say anything to raise his suspicions. It was just as well, because the way Sasuke was coming at her, she would not stand a chance if she held back.

Biting back the urge to curse, she performed a substitution jutsu and leapt away to avoid being hit by an oncoming fireball. Without pause, she slammed her chakra-laden fists into the ground, causing a crack to propagate at a blinding speed before it exploded upwards towards the younger Uchiha. Right before her eyes, Sasuke's body was suddenly surrounded by bright streaks of lightning. The rocks which came into contact with him was instantly repelled, leaving him unharmed. What was worse was that this was not the first time he had used his full-body Chidori to counter her attacks.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Sakura realize that this could not go on. Sooner or later, she would run out of chakra. But Sasuke would still be fine because he hasn't even used his curse seal yet. The only chance she had now was to use her chakra-scalpels. She would have to get close to him but at least the jutsu could not be repelled like her other regular techniques.

There was only one thing that worried her. What if she really managed to injure Sasuke? Would Itachi come out to finish the job? Come to think of it, why had Itachi chosen to leave Sasuke alive during the massacre? Could it be that Itachi had no intention of killing his brother in the first place?

And why the hell was Itachi still hiding himself?

Before she could arrive at the answers to her questions, her attention was drawn to the swift approach of the younger Uchiha. A chirping sound filled the air as he directed the ball of chidori towards her. For a moment, she recalled how it had been the first time he had threatened her with it. She had frozen then, staring at him in disbelief.

But not this time.

Knowing that she had to react fast, Sakura created a bunshin, allowing it to take the hit from Sasuke's chidori as she slipped around them. Her hands glowing blue with her chakra-scalpel, she aimed it towards his arms, intending to severe his muscles.

Sasuke spun around before she could reach him. A glint of metal reflected light into her eyes and Sakura jumped back when she realized that Sasuke had drawn his Kusanagi. She grimaced when she recalled how the blade had injured Yamato when they had met in the rubble of Orochimaru's stronghold.

"Going to use that on me this time?" she gritted out, trying to tamp down her anger and frustration.

Sasuke's eyes never left hers. "It doesn't have to be like this, Sakura."

Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. "I'm afraid it does."

Crimson orbs narrowed slightly. "You're being unreasonable."

If only he knew what she was going through. She was being torn in so many different directions and he had the nerve to say that she was being unreasonable? She was trying to be as reasonable as she possibly could considering the circumstances, damn it! What else could she possibly do?

"No, Sasuke. I'm just doing my job," she said in a flat tone.

"And that is to protect your comrades," he sneered. "To protect your bonds."

He had no idea just how right he was, Sakura thought sadly. Yes, she was doing all this so that she could remain in Akatsuki to complete her mission and to make sure that Konoha and Naruto remained unharmed. It might be too late for any of them to help Sasuke now, but at least she still had a chance with Naruto problem with the Akatsuki wanting the kyuubi.

Shaking her head, she muttered, "I guess you wouldn't understand. After all, you severed your bonds. To me, bonds are still important."

Sasuke's eyes hardened. "Even if the bond is the one with my brother? What happened to you, huh?"

With that, he streaked towards her, his anger fuelling him further. Knowing that she had to slow him down, Sakura slammed her chakra-laden fist into the ground again. The earth exploded under his feet, but Sasuke simply launched himself into the air to avoid it.

A rain of shuriken came towards her, prompting her to pull out her kunai swiftly to deflect them. Metal clashed against metal, each impact jarring her wrist, but Sakura persisted until all his shuriken fell to the ground. She rushed forward before he could land, her glowing foot extended to deliver a blow. It was time for her to close the distance between them.

He raised an arm to block her kick and then a choked cry escaped him when her chakra-laden fist connected with his forearm. For a moment, Sakura faltered at the anguished look on his face as he grabbed his injured limb.

"Sasuke…" she whispered, her heart twisting with regret.

His eyes gleamed and he moved in a flash. Too late, she realized that it was a trick.

Her breath was knocked out of her when his foot drove hard into her stomach, sending her flying. Blinded by pain, she barely managed to twist herself midair to land on her feet some distance away. Coughing hard, she glared at Sasuke as he approached, his injured left arm hanging by his side. Feeling a wetness on her lips, she swiped the back of her glove only to find it bloody.

"You're still gullible," he remarked quietly, unemotionally.

Upset but determined not to show it, she forced out a smirk. "And you won't be using that arm for a while. Unless you get your medic to heal it. Where is the rest of your team?"

Something flickered in Sasuke's crimson eyes. "Gone."

"Gone? What? They got in your way too?" she taunted, trying to buy time to think of her next step.

"Taken down in an unnecessary fight."

That was unexpected, she thought. But at least it meant that she did not need to be wary of potential reinforcement from Sasuke's side. Still, the way he seemed so unconcerned about the demise of his so-called teammates reiterated just how much he had changed. Unless of course, he was simply acting. But why would he do such a thing? Did he notice Itachi's presence after all, and was simply saying all this to draw Itachi out? No, that was not possible. If Sasuke had noticed Itachi's presence, he would not waste any time fighting her.

"Enough talking." His tone was flat.

Her chakra-enhanced eyes followed Sasuke's swift movement as he streaked to one side and then disappeared in flames. Even with her eye jutsu, it was difficult to track his movements. Heart thumping with the uncertainty of where he might reappear, Sakura darted her eyes side to side. Warily, she spun in a slow circle.

Sunlight glinting off metal was her only warning before Sasuke's heartbreakingly familiar features came just inches in front of her face. For a moment, she was transfixed by the odd flicker in those crimson orbs, so familiar and yet so different.

Then her eyes widened when she realized his intent.

She bit back a cry when the sparking blade sliced through her left shoulder. It hurt like hell but at the same time, there was this strange feeling of numbness around the wound. Gathering chakra into her right hand, she gripped the blade and shoved it away from her, disregarding how the metal was slicing into her palm.

Sasuke stared at her, his expression giving away nothing as he lowered the bloodstained Kusanagi to his side. It was only then that she allowed herself to fall to her knees, weak and trembling from her wound. It was not a normal cut.

"I guess I was in your way, huh?" Sakura ground out bitterly, holding a glowing palm to her bleeding shoulder. He had missed her heart but she could not tell if it was deliberate or not. The position of her wound was strikingly similar to the one Yamato had received at Sasuke's hands three years ago. Had Sasuke missed on purpose both times?

"Where is he?" Sasuke asked flatly. "Tell me, Sakura. Or else I will make you."

Eyes narrowing, she spat, "You think I'm going to give up so easily?"

"Why are you protecting him?" His voice carried an almost imperceptible edge of frustration.

Sasuke took a step towards her, Kusanagi once again raised. Sakura eyed the blade with bated breath as it descended slowly towards her neck. However, he paused, tensing in recognition when the air around them shifted slightly. Knowing the reason behind it, Sakura slid her gaze over her shoulder to find Itachi stepping towards them.

"You are looking for me, little brother?" Itachi asked calmly, stopping beside her.

"Itachi." The disgust in Sasuke's tone was unmistakable.

Sakura held her breath as she watched them. This was not good. Sasuke wanted to kill Itachi, so she had no doubt that they would engage in a battle. From their earlier fight, Sakura knew that Sasuke had grown stronger but was he stronger than Itachi? Even though the younger Uchiha had hurt her, Sakura was forced to admit that she did not want him killed.

"Itachi-san. Let's leave," she said, getting to her feet.

"Is it truly necessary to involve others, Sasuke?" Itachi asked evenly, ignoring her.

Sasuke sneered. "She has been corrupted by you."

Sakura glanced sideways at her partner, unsurprised to find that Itachi displayed no emotion whatsoever. Still, she knew him well enough to read the almost imperceptible tightening at the corner of his lips. Itachi was not pleased by his brother's words.

"Perhaps you wish to elaborate on that," the older Uchiha finally said.

"Sakura would never join the likes of you willingly, let alone protect you. What did you do to her?"

Deciding that this conversation was veering into dangerous territory, Sakura interjected tersely, "Let it drop, Sasuke. I was a missing-nin long before I joined Akatsuki. Not that it's any of your business."

Sasuke's lips thinned.

Sakura grew increasingly worried as the brother continued to stare at each other and she had to fight the urge to step between them. Sasuke's left arm was injured, weakening him against the already powerful Itachi. If Itachi chose to fight, there was no doubt that he was going win. Would he kill Sasuke? In the past, he had various opportunities to do so and yet, he had not taken them. Sasuke had only been left wounded. So what would Itachi choose to do this time?

What if Itachi was killed instead by some fluke? Her breath hitched slightly at the thought. She should not be bothered if Itachi was killed, right? After all, it would make taking down Akatsuki easier.

So why was she hoping that both of them would make it out of this battle alive?

* * *

So it had come to this.

Itachi was somewhat bemused to find himself facing his angry brother considering that he had no intention of doing so less than an hour ago. He only had himself to blame, for he had reacted in the most uncharacteristic manner at the sight of his brother's Raiton-laden blade sliding into the kunoichi. Anger had surged through him then. After that, it had been the sight of said blade approaching the kunoichi's neck that prompted him to step in, seeing that it would be foolish to allow the kunoichi to be slain.

"Did you come here today to chastise me about Sakura?" he asked, his tone smooth.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he took a step forward. "I'm here to take my revenge."

"Is that so?"

Bristling, Sasuke glared at him. "Don't think this is going to be easy, Itachi!"

Glancing away from his brother dismissively, Itachi turned to the kunoichi. Her glowing hand was pressed against her wound and for reasons he could not identify, he was glad that she was a medic-nin. Perhaps it was simply because she was an asset as a partner.

"Sakura-san. You will not interfere," he warned. "This will not take long."

Her eyes widened briefly. Then, as if she had arrived at a certain decision, she nodded once.

Assured that this fight would progress without interruptions, Itachi turned back to face his brother. "What are you waiting for, Sasuke?" he asked quietly, injecting a slight hint of mockery.

Sasuke's eyes hardened as he widened his stance. "For your death."

With that, the younger Uchiha executed a series of seals. In moments, Itachi found himself facing a large fireball headed straight for him. Surely Sasuke did not think that such a basic jutsu would work on him. Frowning slightly at his brother's foolishness, Itachi retaliated with a water jutsu.

Just as the flames were extinguished, Itachi caught sight of a flash out of the corner of his eyes. Reacting swiftly, he substituted himself with a clone. Itachi watched from behind a tree as a rain of shuriken connected with his clone, instantly causing it to explode into a flock of crows. Then his eyes narrowed slightly when he saw the Raiton sparks jumping around the blades of shuriken. And when Sasuke drew it back, Itachi realized that his younger brother had attached wires to a number of shuriken to ensure that it took on the elemental technique.

"An interesting technique," he conceded evenly. "Your skills have increased."

Eyes darkening, Sasuke took a step forward and smirked. "I'll show you just how much hatred I have inside me. Nii-san," he ground out.

Dark markings crept over his cheek, spreading further until it covered his entire face. Orochimaru's cursed-seal technique, Itachi noted silently. So, Sasuke had taken this as the fastest path to power.

"So, this is the route you have chosen," Itachi murmured.

Expression grim, Sasuke declared, "I'll not give you the satisfaction of thinking that I obeyed your words."

"A pity."

Sasuke sneered, "Hardly."

"Why?"

"Your eyesight is deteriorating, isn't it? That's why you keep your Sharingan activated."

Itachi raised a brow, his expression giving away nothing.

"I don't need the Mangekyou. It's just a handicap," Sasuke retorted.

"Is that so?" Itachi paused thoughtfully, recalling the techniques Sasuke had used against the kunoichi earlier. "Are you foolish enough to believe that your forbidden techniques, your kinjutsu, had left no effect on you?"

Sasuke's only outward response was to stiffen slightly. "It allows me to battle you on even ground. And for that, I'm willing to give up my life."

"Pitiful."

His words had the desired effect. Sasuke immediately flushed in anger, his hands clenched by his side. Then the markings on his brother's skin began to change. Silently, Itachi studied them as they spread further until Sasuke's own skin color was replaced by a darker shade. The whites of his eyes were now black, surrounding white orbs with black tomoes. Sasuke shrugged his white top to his waist, allowing a pair of hand-shaped wings to unfold behind him.

Itachi grimaced inwardly. His brother was depending on foreign source of energy, one which was created by Orochimaru. How pitiful. He had never intended for Sasuke to take such a path to power and the fact that Sasuke had done so displeased him. Perhaps he should have killed the foolish boy years ago.

Perhaps he should do so now.

Sasuke streaked towards him, his hand cradling a large Chidori. Itachi kept himself immobile, not giving away his thoughts until his brother was almost upon him. Just before the Chidori connected, Itachi performed a rapid series of seals and then disappeared into the ground, rendering Sasuke's attack useless.

When he resurfaced some distance away, Sasuke was did not waste any time in sending another rain of Raiton-enhanced shuriken towards him. Itachi gripped a number of kunai between his fingers and flicked it towards the oncoming weapons, instantly deflecting them.

A chirping sound pierced the air then. Itachi's eyes narrowed as he noted the streaks of lightning surrounding his brother's body. It was another forbidden jutsu, as the human body was not meant to be used as a conductor for any elemental techniques without suffering some damage. From what he had said earlier, it was clear that Sasuke held no reservations about risking his own body.

Before Itachi could form another thought, jagged fingers of lighting shot towards him. The only way to counter it was to utilize another form of ninjutsu, the one thing that Itachi knew would soon put him at a serious disadvantage soon due to his limited chakra. And yet, it could not be avoided.

Performing the necessary seals, Itachi called out, "Fuuton: Reppushou."

The wind around him picked up, swirling rapidly before it shot out as a heavy gust towards Sasuke's lightning attack. Fuuton clashed with Raiton in a blinding flash, the opposing elemental energies causing the area between him and Sasuke to spark erratically.

Then it sizzled into nothing, allowing Itachi to see Sasuke's enraged expression.

"Just die already!" the younger Uchiha snarled furiously as he darted forward.

Deciding to remind Sasuke of his genjutsu, Itachi activated the Mangekyou just before Sasuke came upon him. To his surprise, Sasuke stopped just a few steps away and smirked. The tomoe in the pale orbs took a more prominent form as Sasuke locked his Sharingan to the Mangekyou unflinchingly.

Itachi was surprised to feel the strain as both of them attempted to force through their own techniques. His little brother had certainly grown stronger even without the Mangekyou and Itachi did not know what to make of it. This was not something he had expected, although he had relentlessly pushed Sasuke to seek power.

To his astonishment, his vision swirled as his surroundings dimmed. Itachi did not think that it was possible but Sasuke had managed to counter his doujutsu. Not only that, Sasuke had evidently grown powerful enough to cast his own genjutsu. A powerful one at it.

Against a backdrop of dark blue, hundreds of white snakes materialized in the periphery of his vision, rapidly growing in number until he was surrounded but what seemed like millions of those slithering reptiles. Lightning struck down onto the illusionary plane, adding something dark and dangerous to the surrealistic realm.

Itachi recalled saying once that only those with the Sharingan would stand a chance of defeating him. Would Sasuke turn out to be this person? Would Sasuke turn out to be the one to defeat him?

Yes, his little brother had grown stronger. But Itachi knew that in terms of experience, Sasuke was still lacking. Whilst it was clear that Sasuke's Sharingan was powerful, it meant nothing if one did not engage in a genjutsu battle. With an inward smirk, Itachi focused his chakra towards breaking the illusion. He blacked out the surrounding, allowing himself only to feel the flow of his own chakra until he found the point where the genjutsu had been activated.

Although genjutsu was his specialty, Itachi soon found that breaking out of Sasuke's technique was not an easy task, much to his consternation. He could feel sweat beading on his forehead at the effort he was exerting. This would be much easier if he had access to his full power but he was not willing to risk damaging the seal. He would simply have to use the reduced amount he had left.

With a final push, Itachi finally broke out of the genjutsu and immediately leapt away from Sasuke. His little brother was glaring at him, panting hard as a result of his mental exertion. It was then that Itachi realized that it had taken Sasuke a lot of effort to cast that particular technique.

Growing impatient with the battle, Itachi executed the seals for his own fire attack. The technique would deplete almost all of his chakra but perhaps it would be enough to end this tedious battle.

"Katon: Hinokami-no-jutsu," he called out as he slammed his palm into the ground.

Red, molten balls of earth began to shoot upwards, intercepting Sasuke's numerous shuriken before they could do any damage. As the fiery balls continued to explode from the ground, heading rapidly towards Sasuke, Itachi saw his brother's eyes widen.

Sasuke's wings flared as he took to the sky but the Katon technique was powerful enough to catch him. A particularly large fireball shot through one of the hand-shaped wings, searing straight through it while some of the other fireballs caught him in his legs and arms. Sasuke let out a strangled cry before he tumbled to the ground, his wings folding uselessly behind him.

Taking the few steps to close the distance between him and his injured little brother, Itachi stared down at the bleeding form. Slowly but surely, the darkness tinting the younger Uchiha's skin began to fade, leaving in its place Sasuke's natural paleness. Chest heaving rapidly, Sasuke was glaring at him with his crimson Sharingan eyes.

The boy was an annoyance. But at least he was strong enough to provide a challenging fight. Even so, it was not enough, considering that the seal had lessened his powers. Therefore, should Sasuke challenge him while he was in full power, the boy would have lost even quicker.

Itachi wondered if he had made an erroneous decision in leaving Sasuke alive. He should have killed the boy many years ago, while he was still a weakling, even though that would pose no challenge at all.

Perhaps it was not too late to kill him now.

* * *

Her breath lodged tightly in her throat, Sakura stared wordlessly as Itachi continued to regard Sasuke with a contemplative look on his face. Much to her surprise, she noticed just how tired Itachi was. It was probably not obvious to others, but she was so used to being with him that she had learnt to read him quite well. The battle should not have taken so much out of Itachi in the first place, so what was going on?

Then her eyes went to Itachi's hands. Hung at his sides idly, it did not seem as if he was about to do anything. But she knew from experience just how fast Itachi could be when he wanted to, tired or not. It would only take a fraction of a second for him to deliver the killing blow.

She should do something to stop this. There was no way she could just stand by to watch Itachi kill Sasuke. But what could she do? What could she do to stop this without exposing herself?

"Get up," Itachi suddenly said to his brother, his voice firm. "Is that all you have?"

Sakura blinked in surprise. Itachi still wanted to fight? She continued to watch as Sasuke ground his teeth together, his body shaking as he attempted to push himself up, only to fall back to the ground. Sakura felt her heart twist at the sight. This was all so wrong. Brothers should not be fighting each other like this.

"Do you consider yourself weak, Sasuke?" Itachi asked quietly.

"NO!" Sasuke snarled loudly.

Sakura's lips parted in shock as snakes suddenly exploded out from under Sasuke.

In a blink of an eye, they were wrapped around Itachi's arms and legs, rendering him immobile.

A glint of metal caught the sunlight and then a muffled cry escaped Sakura's lips at the sight of Sasuke's Kusanagi slicing the side of Itachi's midsection. Unflinchingly, Itachi created a bunshin that shoved Sasuke away, taking with him the bloodstained blade.

It was only then that Itachi fell to his knees weakly.

The sudden reverse of the situation took her by surprise. It happened so fast. This time, it was Sasuke who was standing, smirking down at Itachi while the older Uchiha simply stared up at his brother with a placid expression. His countenance showed none of the pain he must be feeling from the injury.

"Finally," Sasuke hissed.

Hand clutching his side, Itachi continued to stare at Sasuke contemplatively. To Sakura's alarm, thick red blood was seeping out between Itachi's fingers, staining his Akatsuki ring. The blade had cut deep. Would Itachi survive this confrontation? Regardless of her past with Sasuke, Sakura found herself hoping that Itachi would get up and leave. But she knew that the older Uchiha would not do so this time. Besides, Sasuke would only chase him.

"You underestimated me," Sasuke bit out. "Did you think that I would come unprepared after all these years? That I didn't spend all this time thinking of ways to counter your attacks? Huh?"

Itachi raised a single brow.

"Now that you're in this sorry state, tell me." Sasuke ground out in a strained voice, his emotions barely held in check. "Tell me… Nii-san. Tell me why did you kill them?"

Itachi coughed, spraying blood as he did so. And then he smirked through his blood-stained lips. "I already told you, Sasuke. Or have you forgotten?"

"I don't believe you!" the younger Uchiha snarled. "Do you think I'm stupid?! You didn't have to prove your potential by killing them. You knew you were stronger than them. Everyone knew you were stronger than them. So why?!"

Itachi shook his head once, his action conveying a slight exasperation but he said nothing.

Sasuke took a step towards the silent Itachi and once again, Sakura was overcome by the urge to rush towards them to push them away from each other. Without conscious thought, her feet brought her a few steps closer to them.

Her anxious eyes flicked to the cut in Itachi's side and then to the burn marks peppering Sasuke's body. She knew that Sasuke would kill Itachi without a moment's hesitation. If Itachi died at Sasuke's hands, then she would have completed a small part of her Leaf mission without even compromising her cover. After all, practically everyone knew that Sasuke was after Itachi. The whole thing made sense. She should just stay back and let the whole thing take its course.

So why was she taking another hurried steps towards them?

Why was she so bent on making sure that Itachi remained alive when him being dead meant that she was one step closer to success on her Konoha mission?

* * *

A/N: Okay, this must be the hardest chapter for me to write so far. Good news is, the fight will end soon since I'm not planning to drag it out. I hope you liked it so far and if you could, please drop me a review. Thanks!


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recogniz

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing! Big shout out to: Illidan the Half Demon, Dark Darianna Minamino, ironiji, NightGaze, TaintedImpurity, animal.cracker.assassinator, sympatheticassassin, BlackButterfly-RedRose, Chikata, S. T. Nickolian, AkatsukiSakura73, Blueberry Babe, Ita-ta, aznkitty180, strawberry explosion, jjayno1, andy2908, PodRacingprincess, crystal teardrops, midnight000shadow, supersillee06, Blossom Uchiha, Passionate Crow Rat, Goatis, Hao'sAnjul, Kaoru's sister, Minako, namita, sadbird, Shade, BeybladeLuver03, Shizune-san, The Dark Necromancer, animeismyname, Kinkatia, tema-sama, SatuAka, ArtStar, KagomaruLover88, Luka1Sakura, May, Mudheart, LaberaiTashio, SasukeSakuraxXXxItachiSakura, Okami Kyohaku, ShikamarusLoudMouthEmoMaiomi and acceptedmisconceptions.

Without further ado, here is the next chapter...

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 18**

Ignoring the burning pain on the left side of his stomach, Itachi stared unflinchingly at the approach of the gleaming blade.

His senses told him that his partner was quickly making her way towards him, completely ignoring his previous warning for her to remain uninvolved in the battle. Displeasure coursed through him at the notion that she had disobeyed his direct orders, only for him to recall that the kunoichi could be unreasonably stubborn when she felt justified in doing so.

It was apparent that she had thought that the latest development in this battle between him and Sasuke justified her interference.

He coughed, and once again, thick red blood spurted out of his mouth. Itachi had to admit that he had not expected Sasuke to reverse their positions so quickly. His little brother had indeed improved much, certainly enough to present a real danger in his own low-chakra state.

Sakura was coming closer now. Perhaps he should allow the kunoichi to interfere. After all, she appeared to have fully healed herself. Having done so, however, had depleted a lot of her chakra. Sakura was not better off in terms of chakra resource compared to him and Sasuke. If she fought and lost, it would have defeated the purpose of him stepping into the fight to prevent Sasuke from killing her in the first place.

There was only one thing he could do.

It was risky but considering the circumstances, it carried the best probability of success. He could not use any of his own chakra because the seal in his left arm had taken it. However, having transferred what he had stolen from the orb to his seal, Pein's and Tobi's chakra were now locked within the seal for regeneration, hence available.

All he had to do was release just a small amount of chakra, enough for him to perform one last technique to catch Sasuke unawares. Although he detested the notion of relying upon another's chakra, considering the situation, he was left with no other option. There was also a slight risk that Sakura might recognize the chakra, but it was a risk he had to take.

"Stop it, Sasuke."

Itachi saw his brother still at Sakura's quiet voice, his blade pausing just a couple of feet away. Jaws twitching, Sasuke flicked a sideway glance at the kunoichi.

"I thought your partner told you not to interfere, Sakura," Sasuke bit out icily.

"You really want to kill your last living relative?" Sakura asked in a strained voice. "Don't you ever wonder why he didn't kill you when he had the chance so many times in the past?"

Sasuke stiffened visibly. "Don't talk to me about the past," he spat.

"The past made you what you are now, Sasuke," she pointed out softly.

"Shut up!"

Taking advantage of Sasuke's distraction, Itachi carefully performed a release technique, focusing his full attention to the seal to ensure that he extracted the correct chakra. He only required some from a certain individual.

Then he felt it.

Itachi's eyes shot wide open at the sudden flood of foreign energy invading his body. His immediate reaction was to reject the unfamiliar surge of power but he forced down the reflex. The chakra was disturbingly different from his. It was thick, heavy and more malevolent, but enough to enable Itachi to raise himself to his feet.

Tobi's chakra continued to surge through his system, making him feel unnaturally strong. The notion that this strength belonged to one such as Tobi did not sit well with him. Even before he straightened fully, Itachi's hands were already engaged in performing seals. As he did so, he saw Sasuke and Sakura staring at him wide-eyed. It was clear that they, too, had sensed the change.

"What did you do?" Sasuke hissed as he took a few steps backwards, his fingers tightening around his Kusanagi.

Knowing that it was pointless to respond verbally to Sasuke, Itachi completed the seals. As he forcefully manipulated it to obey his direction, a sharp pain shot through his wound. His body was protesting against the strain. He only hoped that the untested technique would operate as he intended it to. Now that Sasuke had proven himself to be capable, it would be a waste to kill him. Disabling him however, was necessary.

"Amaterasu," Itachi mouthed, bracing himself for the familiar pain in his eyes that would surely follow in the wake of the doujutsu.

As Itachi watched through his pain-filled eyes, dark flames appeared and swiftly formed a ring around his little brother. A gasp escaped the kunoichi while Sasuke emitted a muffled curse when the flames grew taller, trapping him in the circle of black fire.

Glaring at him, Sasuke snarled, "You bastard!"

Keeping his expression impassive, hiding his pain from the others, Itachi intoned evenly, "You lost."

"I'm not done with you!" Sasuke yelled furiously.

Ignoring Sasuke's words, Itachi continued, "You are strong. But there is room for improvement. Don't you think?"

Sasuke's crimson eyes burned with hatred. Hatred that he, Itachi, had instilled so many years ago. Taunting Sasuke had the desired effect of pushing him to improve. And now that Orochimaru was gone, Itachi would like to see how Sasuke would choose to strengthen himself further.

A wave of dizziness swept through Itachi then, alerting him that to the fact he would not be able to remain on his feet for much longer. The wound in his stomach combined with the side effect of Amaterasu was proving to be too much. He had to end this fast. It would not do to collapse right now.

The kunoichi stepped up to him. Slanting a sideway glance at her, Itachi took note of her frozen features as she stared at the flames surrounding his brother. Would she attempt to assist her childhood friend now? Or would she continue to watch?

It did not matter, Itachi decided as he performed a quick seal.

Almost immediately, the flames arched over the horrified Sasuke, encasing him but not touching him. An agonized cry rang through the air the moment Sasuke was shielded from view by the black fire.

It would not take long now, Itachi thought as the flames continued to burn. Soon, Sasuke would collapse from the lack of air and the effect of the Amaterasu.

"You're burning him alive?" the kunoichi asked in a strained whisper.

Not bothering to respond to her, Itachi lifted his hands again and with the last of his chakra, executed a reversal technique. He had to do this fast otherwise what Sakura had said might come true.

When he completed the seals, Itachi lowered his hands to watch its effects through his hazy vision. The black flames of the Amaterasu dimmed. In a few seconds, it withdrew fully away from Sasuke and then disappeared from sight. His brother's limp form was now exposed to Itachi's gaze and as he had expected, the younger Uchiha was no longer moving.

It was done.

With that thought, Itachi succumbed to the pain wracking through his body, his eyes fluttering shut as he collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Standing alone with Itachi laying prone on one side and Sasuke on the other, Sakura found herself unable to breathe. Everything had happened so fast. The enormity of what she had done, or what she had NOT done, hit her hard.

Breathe, Sakura, breathe, she coaxed herself.

She knew that Itachi was still alive but what about Sasuke? Was he dead? What made it worse was how she had been fully prepared to intervene when Sasuke was about to drive his Kusanagi into Itachi but she had not moved an inch to stop Itachi from executing his Amaterasu on Sasuke. She had just stood frozen and watched as those flames engulfed Sasuke.

How could she? She had done nothing to stop it. Had Sasuke been killed right in front of her and she had done nothing to prevent it? Mission or not, Akatsuki or not, Naruto would hate her for this. She might as well have failed her entire mission.

Steps leaden and mind numb, Sakura moved slowly towards the blackened circle surrounding the body. Her steps halted when she reached the edge of the ring, her heart twisting in agony. Only then did she glance down at Sasuke, noting the numerous bleeding wounds and burns on his body. Kneeling down, she placed her palm on his chest, wanting to say goodbye silently.

She gasped and her eyes widened at the sensation of his heart beating against her hand. A sigh of relief escaped her when she realized that Sasuke was alive. She inserted a bit of her chakra into him to assess the damage. Astoundingly, his wounds were not as severe as they had seemed.

A soft sound drew her attention then, causing her to stiffen. Glancing over her shoulders, she saw Itachi stirring.

Knowing that the older Uchiha would be fully conscious soon, Sakura stood up quickly and took a few steps away from Sasuke. She could not afford to let Itachi think that she was trying to heal his brother. Such an action would only cause her problems in the long run. Besides, none of Sasuke's wounds were life-threatening.

The whole thing baffled her and she struggled to understand what had happened. Now that she knew that both of them were alive, it was time to think.

Earlier, a plan had brewed in her mind as she made her way towards them. She had decided that since Itachi was practically emptied of chakra, it meant that she had to stop Sasuke to prevent either of them dying. Her plan had been fuzzy at best, only to disable Sasuke since he was considerably drained as well, and then somehow send him back to Konoha.

But Itachi had suddenly flared up with some strange chakra which had not been there before. She had been surprised by his sudden comeback, particularly with the strange addition. It was as if he had been suppressing his chakra all this time, waiting for the right moment to unleash it on Sasuke.

Itachi could have killed him but for some reason, he had withdrawn the black flames. Sasuke could have died but he didn't and Sakura did not know what to make of it. Was Itachi truly as evil as Sasuke had made him out to be if he held back like this? Why would someone who wiped out so many of his clan members refrain from killing his brother?

From what she knew of Itachi, she could not help but wonder if there was something more to the entire massacre. Itachi did not strike her as someone who would murder his entire clan for the sake of proving his strength. In fact, from what she had seen of him, he tended to avoid battles and only fought when it was necessary. And even then, he used the minimal effort possible to win. Itachi was quietly confident of his skills and did nothing to show it off. Something must have really set him off for him to slaughter his entire clan.

It was also odd that he kept taunting Sasuke. In all the time she had known Itachi, the Uchiha had never done such a thing during a battle. It was as if he was trying to goad Sasuke. But why? Was he doing it to push Sasuke to grow stronger? For what reason?

Deciding that she was thinking in circles, Sakura finally turned and walked towards the older Uchiha. Itachi eyes shot open, staring straight up at her as she stood over him.

"You're a mess," she remarked casually, her eyes sweeping over his wounds.

The corner of his lips tilted slightly.

"Let me heal you."

The flicker of hesitation in his eyes was so brief that for a moment, Sakura thought that she had imagined it. But she had learnt that when it came to Itachi, these small signs normally meant something. Still, it was rather puzzling why he was hesitant to let her heal him. It was not as if it was the first time or anything like that.

"Itachi-san?" she ventured, gesturing to his midsection. "That wound needs to be healed and you know it."

He stared assessingly at her for a long while, not even bothering to get up. When she was about to prompt him again, he finally nodded once.

"Very well," he murmured, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position.

Kneeling beside him, Sakura peeled open his Akatsuki cloak, wincing inwardly as she saw the wet patches on his mesh shirt. He was bleeding profusely but the way he held his body betrayed nothing. Shaking her head at his enormous pride, she placed her glowing hands on his wound.

As her medical chakra began to enter him, she frowned. It was faint but she could almost swear that there was something different about his body. What was left of his chakra seemed to be gravitating towards a certain point. Allowing her medical chakra to delve further, she located said point somewhere towards his left side.

"Sakura-san."

Her eyes snapped upwards to find him staring down at her with a hard look.

"Just heal the wound," he said quietly, but there was no mistaking the warning in his tone.

She averted her eyes. It was obvious now that he was hiding something. Suspicion coursed through her but she could hardly continue to probe now that Itachi had realized what she was doing. Besides, she needed him on her side for what she was about to suggest next.

Withdrawing her chakra and focusing it onto his injuries, she concentrated on closing the wounds. Her depleted chakra only allowed her to do the minimum, meaning that although he would no longer bleed, Itachi was far from healed. Knowing that his eyes were probably suffering as well, she placed her glowing fingers on his lids to give him some relief. She would just have to finish healing him when she recovered. Right now, she needed to reserve the last of her chakra for something else.

"It's done," she announced as she stood up.

He nodded once and unfolded himself from the ground. Standing beside her, he stared at the unconscious body of his brother.

"He's alive," she said quietly.

"Aa."

Hiding her anxiety, Sakura gestured towards Sasuke. "What now? We can't just leave him here. In his state, just about anyone could cart him off. I don't even want to imagine what could happen if one of the hidden villages get hold of his Sharingan."

"He cannot be left here."

Surprised that he had agreed, Sakura gaped at him. She had expected him to just leave Sasuke laying there to bleed to death. Then her eyes widened as she took in the paleness of the older Uchiha, even after her healing. Itachi might have won this battle but he had not come out unscathed. The way he held himself so stiffly suggested to her that he was in still considerable pain, much as he tried to hide it. It was hardly surprising, considering that Sasuke had driven the Kusanagi straight through Itachi.

Directing her attention back to her childhood friend, Sakura's hands continued to itch to heal him. But as difficult as it was, she refrained from it because she knew that such a thing was definitely not an acceptable Akatsuki behavior. Besides, if she managed to convince Itachi to agree to her plan, Sasuke would be healed soon enough.

Deciding to take the plunge, she ventured, "I have a suggestion."

Itachi gave her a questioning look.

"Konoha wants him back," she remarked pointedly.

A light of comprehension flickered in his eyes. "You wish to deliver him to Hidden Leaf?"

Sakura nodded. "It makes sense, don't you think? That way, at least he won't be chasing after you. It would be problematic if he kept interrupting our missions like this."

"Hm."

As Sakura waited with bated breath, Itachi stared down at Sasuke with a contemplative look. For a moment, she thought she could see a flicker of remorse in his eyes but then it was gone. It must have been just her imagination, she finally decided.

Then the Uchiha slanted an unreadable look at her. "He will be executed."

Surprised, Sakura's eyes shot up to his. That was not exactly what she had expected him to say. It sounded almost as if he cared for Sasuke after all. Deciding to confirm it, she ventured hesitantly, "That will bother you, won't it?"

His eyes narrowed. "No."

Glancing at Sasuke, she said softly, "I don't think the Godaime will do that."

"Why?"

"Naruto won't let her." Turning back to Itachi, she continued, "And Naruto seems to have this strange way of talking Tsunade around. So no, I don't think Sasuke will be executed. He'll probably end up in permanent house-arrest."

Itachi was now giving her an odd look, one which she could not decipher. She quickly broke their gaze, hoping that he would not suspect that she was still part of Konoha. Her words just now might have sounded a little bit too… soft… for someone who had left and betrayed the country.

Just when she thought that Itachi would reject the idea, he gave her a curt nod. "Very well. But we will not deliver him ourselves."

Suppressing the relief which washed over her, Sakura agreed, "That would be too dangerous."

"Hm."

Sakura bit her lips thoughtfully. There was only one other 'person' she could trust to bring Sasuke back to Konoha and that was why she had reserved the last bit of her chakra. But she did not know if she should do it. She had not summoned her raven for a long time. In fact, the last time she had summoned her was back in Konoha, during her training.

"I could summon Yatagarasu to bring Sasuke back to Konoha."

He looked somewhat surprised. "The raven."

She nodded. "I signed a contract with Yatagarasu back when I was still in Konoha. But I haven't done summoned her since I defected. I wasn't sure if Yatagarasu would betray me."

Itachi shook his head. "She will obey the one who summoned her."

Sakura took a deep breath to prepare herself. "I guess I should try then."

With that, she reached back into her pack and retrieved her container of bugs. In moments, she executed the seals to bring forth two clones. She needed the stored chakra from them for this to work. As her clones performed the necessary seals for the summoning, Sakura bit her thumb and swung the appendage in a swift arc, sending droplets of blood through the air.

"Kuchiyose-no-jutsu!" she called out.

Her surroundings crackled with invisible power as wind began to whip faster and faster around them. Then it stilled abruptly just a second before a large cloud of smoke obscured Sakura's vision. When the smoke cleared, the black feathery form of her summon stood before her.

A pair of beady golden eyes stared into her face. "You called, Sakura?"

Sakura looked up at the one-storey tall raven and nodded. "Yatagarasu, can you please bring Sasuke back to Konoha?"

The raven peered at the body laying on the ground. "This is your missing-nin friend, is he not?"

"That's right."

Yatagarasu turned back to her. "And I see you've turned into one as well. I was wondering what happened to you."

Sakura grimaced as the raven turned to Itachi but thankfully, Yatagarasu made no comment about the older Uchiha. Instead, the raven picked Sasuke up by the purple ribbon and carefully settled the unconscious missing-nin on its back. A semi-dome of golden chakra immediately enveloped the body, holding Sasuke in place. Sasuke would be safe with Yatagarasu.

"Thank you," Sakura said gratefully.

The raven's head bobbed. "It's good to see that you're well. Do not hesitate to summon me when you need aid."

A small smile of relief crossed Sakura's lips. It looked like her summon did not hold her missing-nin status against her. "I will."

With a piercing screech, Yatagarasu ascended into the air and streaked away.

* * *

Itachi watched silently as the summoned raven disappeared into a small dot in the sky.

For a moment, it had occurred to him that this summon may well lend some evidence to support Pein's suspicions. The raven could easily carry messages back to Konoha, after all. But the moment the notion occurred to him, Itachi dismissed it. It was not possible for one to miss the charge of chakra which preceded the appearance of the raven. Besides, it appeared that the raven did not even know that Sakura was a missing-nin.

It was beginning to appear less and less likely that Sakura was the one who was betraying them.

Her plan has its merits. Apart from getting Sasuke out of his way, her plan to send Sasuke back to Konoha would also serve to distract Konoha while they carried out the assassination contract. This was particularly useful in this frame of time considering his own plans.

Itachi grimaced inwardly at the reminder of what Sasuke had forced him to do. By releasing the seal, albeit briefly, he had flooded his body with a minute amount of the foreign chakra he had stolen from the red orb. And in doing so, he now comprehended just how powerful Tobi was. His chakra was thick, vicious and had almost overwhelmed Itachi, confirming that Tobi was not as simple he seemed.

The nature of the chakra also confirmed to Itachi that the masked man carried the Uchiha bloodline within him, further cementing his suspicions.

Soon, Itachi told himself. Soon the seal would be self-supporting and the foreign chakra within would increase to the amount sufficient for him to launch the next stage of his plan. But now that he had released some of the chakra, it would take the seal several more days to regenerate the stolen chakra, and in doing so, more of Itachi's own chakra would be used to feed the seal.

It was the price he had to pay to win the battle but at least Sasuke was no longer in his way now.

Deciding to progress with their journey now that both of them were healed, albeit low on chakra, Itachi murmured, "Let's go."

"Wait!"

Feet stilling, he cast an inquiring look upon her.

Frowning thoughtfully, she remarked, "I felt your chakra earlier. I take it that you suppressed your chakra and then released it at the last minute. But it was… different."

"Hm."

His non-committal response drew a scowl from her. "So what actually happened back there?" she asked.

He was not surprised that she had noticed, considering her chakra manipulation abilities. However, he had no intention of enlightening her on this particular matter. The kunoichi was far too inquisitive for her own good. Had she not learnt by now that this type of questions should never be asked? Evidently not, from the expectant expression on her feature.

Deciding to detract her from her line of questioning, he drawled, "You are… nosy."

As expected, she immediately bristled. "It's natural to be curious, don't you think?"

"Hm."

An exasperated sigh left her. "I suppose that means you're not going to tell me."

He raised a brow.

Huffing, she spun around and walked away. Smirking inwardly, Itachi went in the same direction and soon, they were once again making their way towards their assassination target. They would have to stop to rest soon, for he doubted that either of them could complete the assassination mission in the state they were in.

The forest grew thicker as they crossed into Fire Country. It was a familiar territory for Itachi, seeing that he had spent many days patrolling the border during the time he had been a Konoha ANBU. Things had been so simple then when he was younger. It had been simple up to the day Shisui confronted him next to the Nakano River.

He gave himself a mental shake. The past was the past, and he should not waste time mulling over it.

Itachi snuck a sideway glance at his companion. The kunoichi had been silent for hours. That in itself was an astounding feat. Even though she did not chatter continuously, she would usually break the silence on occasion. But ever since the raven had soared into the sky with Sasuke, Sakura had remained strangely silent.

The entire encounter with Sasuke must have disturbed her greatly. He immediately recalled how distraught she had been when they fought her old Konoha team months ago. That time, Sakura had broken down in silent tears as they left her injured ex-comrades.

At least this time there were no tears. Still, from what he had seen of Sakura's and Sasuke's interaction earlier, it had not seemed as if Sakura was sad at all, only angry. Their tone of conversation had been completely different from the one she had with Naruto. But then again, that could be explained by the fact that the kunoichi was once in love with his foolish little brother.

A surge of displeasure broke through at the thought and this time, Itachi clenched his hands into fists. His unusual reaction to such nonsensical things was growing tedious. One might even think that he was resentful of the kunoichi's past with Sasuke, if such a notion was not so preposterous.

* * *

Naruto's breath was leaving him in rapid gasps as he streaked across the rooftops. The sloped tiles sped past his feet but his attention was fixed to some unseen point in the distance. For once, he was glad that he was actually in Konoha instead of one of his bunshin acting in his place.

It was faint but he recognized the familiar presence. There was nothing else like it.

Sasuke.

His mind screamed the name with desperation, matching the desperation of his moves as he drew closer and closer to the source of Sasuke's presence.

With a renewed burst of energy, he sped up until he reached the hospital. Sasuke's presence was coming from the top floor, his senses told him. His eyes darted over the building, seeking an entry point. Finding an open window, he leapt into an empty room and without pause, streaked out to the hallway. He was getting closer, he could sense it.

He could sense Sasuke.

Turning around the bend, Naruto skidded to a halt in front of a familiar figure.

"Hinata!" he exclaimed.

"N-Naruto-kun…"

"Hinata! Who's in there?! Is it Sasuke?!" he cried out urgently, his hands clamping around the kunoichi's shoulders, shaking her slightly.

Staring at him with wide pale eyes, Hinata's lips parted but no sound came out. It was then that Naruto had the presence of mind to realize that he was probably scaring the shy girl. His chagrin was real as he released her quickly.

"I'm sorry, Hinata." He swallowed hard to try to calm himself. "Is… Is Sasuke in there?" he asked in a steadier voice.

Hinata's eyes closed and for a moment, Naruto thought she would faint like she usually did. To his relief, she simply opened them again and with a timid smile, nodded at him.

Naruto felt as if his heart would burst. Sasuke was back! Face stretching into a wide grin, he exclaimed, "Really? Sasuke is really in there?"

"Y-Yes, Naruto-kun." She took a deep breath before she continued. "Kakashi found him and then asked me to identify him with by Byakugan. T-To make sure he's really Sasuke."

"How is he?" Naruto asked quickly.

Those pale eyes flickered momentarily. "N-Naruto… S-Sasuke is injured."

"WHAT?!"

He immediately darted towards the door to Sasuke's room.

"Naruto, no!"

Ignoring Hinata, he barged through the door and was instantly caught in Kakashi's unrelenting grip.

"Stop," the Copy-nin cautioned. "You shouldn't be in here."

"Let me go! Kakashi-sensei, I-" Naruto broke off suddenly when his eyes landed on the still figure on the bed.

Still clad in what remained of his Sound attire, a very pale Sasuke laid on the white hospital sheets, surrounded by Tsunade, Shizune and two other medic-nins. Streaks of blood covered him all the way from his head to his toes, telling Naruto that his paleness was probably due to blood loss. The sight was so disturbing that Naruto felt a tremor running through him. Not only that, the scent of burnt flesh was enough to make him gag.

"S-Sasuke…" His voice came out as a choked whisper.

"Calm down, Naruto," the Copy-nin told him evenly. "He's alive."

Without looking up from Sasuke, Tsunade ordered sternly, "Get Naruto out of here, Kakashi. And get some ANBU guards outside that door, damn it!"

"Let's go, Naruto."

Naruto was about to protest when Kakashi clamped a hand around his arm and firmly led him out of the room. His eyes strained to look past Kakashi to his friend, but Tsunade and the rest of the medics were obscuring his view.

Hinata was there when they stepped into the hallway.

Directing a pointed look at Hinata, Kakashi said, "Hinata. Stay with Naruto."

Naruto barely heard the Hyuuga's soft answer as he leaned back against the wall, allowing himself to slide down to the floor. He buried his face in his hands as he tried to calm the wild beating in his chest. Sasuke was finally back. Sure he was badly beaten up, but Tsunade would fix him, right?

But what happened to him? Why was he so hurt? And how the hell did he end up in Konoha?

"N-Naruto-kun? A-Are you alright?"

He glanced up to find a blushing Hinata crouching in front of him. She looked a little worried and he felt compelled to force out a reassuring smile. There was no reason to upset the girl.

"I'm fine, Hinata."

Her eyes shifted away from him and then back.

"A-Are you… h-hungry?" she asked quietly.

He was not really hungry but the mention of food immediately brought forth the urge for ramen. Besides, he could not really do anything now until Tsunade allowed him to go back in. Yes, ramen was definitely a good way to distract him right now. And by the time he finished with his food, maybe Tsunade would allow him to see Sasuke.

Shooting to his feet, Naruto grabbed the surprised kunoichi by the wrist.

"Come on, Hinata. Let's go for some ramen!"

* * *

It had been three days since Yatagarasu had left with Sasuke on her back.

Sakura only hoped that Sasuke was alright now that he was back in Konoha. Tsunade would heal his wounds in no time at all. Closing her eyes, she sighed softly at the thought of how furious the younger Uchiha would be when he realized that it would be much more difficult for him to escape Konoha now. But at least Naruto got his best friend back, right?

Shaking herself mentally, Sakura forced herself to concentrate on the mission at hand. Itachi had done as she had hoped and instructed her to act as a backup while he went into their target's residence. Since they were not on a tight schedule, she had told Kajimaru that they would only collect the rest of the fees on their way back from Lightning Country a few days later.

So now, perched on a tree which offered her a view of their target's compound in the distance, she waited for Itachi to finish the unpleasant task of killing off the head of the underground organization. Casting her eyes towards the stone walls surrounding the compound, Sakura saw the same two guards pacing listlessly in front of the gates. Their reconnaissance yesterday had suggested that security was rather lax which was a little surprising. With that in view, Itachi had insisted on her staying outside as a backup just in case something went wrong.

She glanced down at her watch and frowned. He had been in there close to an hour already. One hour was the time limit they had agreed on. If he did not come out soon, she would have to sneak in.

The thought of Itachi requiring help would have made her laugh a week ago. But ever since their encounter with Sasuke, she had come to realize that Itachi was not infallible. In fact, he had come very close to getting himself killed and would probably be dead by now if he had not dredged up that last burst of chakra.

She bit her lips thoughtfully as she recalled the odd movement of chakra within his body. There was something on the left side of his body that was absorbing his chakra, but what was it?

Before she could continue that line of thought, her senses pricked, informing her that something was about to happen. Steeling herself, she fixed her eyes to the gates.

In moments, Itachi burst out of the gate, quickly dealing with the two surprised guards with his shuriken. The guards were down in a blink of an eye, leaving him to streak away unhindered.

Sakura jumped off the tree just as he came closer.

"Run."

Her lips parted at his terse instruction. Run?

Then a commotion from the compound caught her attention. Eyes widening in alarm at the sight of the large group of shinobi that had just exited the gate, Sakura obeyed Itachi instantly and ran. What the hell happened in there? There should not be so many shinobi guarding the target. She glowered inwardly, making a note to show Kajimaru what she thought of his deception. The bastard would pay through his nose for this. Or lose said nose.

"The target is taken care of?" she asked Itachi urgently.

He simply nodded.

A rain of senbon flew past her. She bit back a curse at the realization that she almost took a senbon through her ear. But she knew just the right type of attack to stop them from coming closer.

Gritting her teeth, Sakura's executed a series of seals as she spun around to face the oncoming group of shinobi.

"Fuuton: Reppushou!"

The air around them shifted immediately, the pressure increasing around her until the wind shot out in a large gust towards the enemy forces. Shouts rang out from the opponents as they prepared to counter her wind technique. Determined to stop them, Sakura raised her hands to execute another jutsu.

To Sakura's surprise, Itachi halted her movements. "Let me."

He performed the seals she recognized as the one for one of his fire jutsu.

"Katon: Goukakyuu-no-jutsu."

Sakura's eyes widened in comprehension as his fireball technique merged with the wind attack she had just released, using the wind to spread the fire at a great speed towards the now-alarmed group of shinobi. As she watched, the flamed engulfed the group and cries of pain rang out.

Turning away from the carnage, Sakura began to run, heading towards the lush forest of Fire Country. She did not need to see them burn to their death. Not to mention that their reinforcements would probably arrive soon.

Itachi joined her moments later and for a while, they continued to run side by side through the forest. No one was chasing them so far, but they still could not afford to slow down until they got to somewhere safe. She had enough chakra to sustain her for a while but what about Itachi? He had been subjected to an unexpected number of enemy shinobi after all.

With that in mind, Sakura glanced at the silent Uchiha. The damp patches on his dark cloak immediately caught her attention.

"You're hurt!" she exclaimed anxiously, her steps slowing slightly.

"It's nothing." He did not even bother glancing at her.

Nothing? Her brows furrowed. "Let's stop for a while so that I can heal it."

"We are being pursued."

He had a point there, Sakura admitted. Even though she could not see the group of rogue shinobi, it made sense that they would be tracking them.

"Fine. Then we need find somewhere to hide," she stipulated.

A brief pause followed. And then…

"Aa."

* * *

Knowing that it would be foolish to remain in Fire Country, Itachi decided to travel east for the rest of the night and into the next day until they reached the border to Lightning Country. The blue sky slowly dimmed to a dreary grey as they approached their destination. Unlike Fire Country, Lightning Country was cold and dark.

Not long after they went past the border, a crack sounded in the sky and rain began to pour down relentlessly. Thunder rumbled through the sky as flashes of lightning sparked brightly overhead, seemingly hitting the tall rock cliffs which surrounded them.

Already short of chakra and weary from the lack of rest, Itachi found himself in the rare state of wishing that they could stop. However, there were no villages nearby. The water soaked through his cloak and he shivered. It was cold and yet there were spikes of uncomfortable heat shooting through his body. He must be more tired than he had realized for his body to react in such a strange manner. Or perhaps this was one of the side effects from his brief tampering of the seal.

"Itachi-san." The kunoichi's words were muffled by a gust of frigid wind.

He slid a glance sideways at her, his steps not pausing. She was shivering slightly, unwittingly telling him that she was cold and tired. What was odd was his displeasure of seeing her in such a state.

"Let's stop," she said, pulling her Akatsuki cloak closer around her. "I recognize this area from my travels. There is a small cave hidden in a cliff not far from here."

Her words were a welcomed sound. Nodding, he gestured for her to lead the way.

The rain continued to beat against them as he ran behind her. In his mind, he knew that she was running straight but to his eyes, her form was wavering, sometimes even doubling. Grimacing at the notion that his eyesight was getting worse, Itachi ground his teeth together.

To his relief, they soon arrived at the base of a cliff. Itachi did not bother to even glance up the face of it. It would be pointless, considering the state of his eyes now. However, he was certain that one night's rest would be sufficient to repair the damage.

"It's up there," she told him as she began to gather chakra to her feet.

Nodding, Itachi followed suit and they both scaled the vertical cliff face swiftly. Barely making out the shape of a ledge, he somersaulted around and landed securely on the rocky surface. The cliff face continued on above him and there were large boulders right in front of him.

Stepping up to him, the kunoichi explained, "The entrance is just beyond these rocks."

Without another word, she slid through the gap between two boulders. Itachi followed her silently, taking note of the surrounding as they entered a dark cave. Protected from the worst of the rainstorm by the large boulders outside, the cave was dry.

Drops of water dripped from his hitai-ate into his eyes as he turned to face her. "It is secure?"

She shrugged. "As secure as it can be."

It was not enough. Neither of them was in the condition to withstand an ambush at the moment. Itachi frowned as he contemplated the situation. It took him a moment to arrive at a decision to increase the level of security.

"Itachi-san?" she called out. "You need to be healed."

He could barely see her in the darkness but he could detect the note of concern in her voice. The healing could wait. Security could not.

"I will secure the cave first."

She hesitated before responding, "Fine."

Chills were running through his entire body now but Itachi forced himself to ignore it. Swiftly, he extracted a handful of explosive tags from his pocket and began to place them around the perimeter. That way, if there were intruders, they would be alerted.

Lifting his hands, he prepared to execute a fire jutsu, only to find his concentration lapsing a couple of times. Frowning slightly, Itachi tried again and to his satisfaction, managed to create a small fire. Yes, considering the state he was in, it was best that he rested.

He laid his wet cloak next to the fire, noting that Sakura was doing the same, leaving her clad only in her black and grey dress and her tight shorts. His eyes traveled down her rarely exposed limbs before he could stop himself. When he finally managed to wrench his wayward gaze away from her, his entire body was tense and he felt oddly lightheaded. He was tired and he needed to rest, he deduced. It was certainly not the time to entertain his preoccupation with Sakura.

"I think the first thing to do is to prevent hypothermia," she muttered.

With that, she performed the now-familiar wind jutsu to dry them both but the temperature was still too low to be comfortable. When he glanced at the kunoichi, Itachi found to his consternation that his eyesight was worsening. Even with his Sharingan activated, everything around him was blurry. How could this be? He had not used the Mangekyou today. A fleeting thought that something was not right occurred to him but it was gone before he could ponder upon it.

Walking to the end of the cave, he sat down and leaned against the icy wall.

The kunoichi suddenly appeared before him, her eyes scanning his body. "Let's tend to the wounds."

His wounds were minor and all he wanted was to sleep. "Just the eyes."

Her brows furrowed as she leaned over him. "But you were wounded elsewhere as well."

"Minor senbon wounds. They will heal."

"At least let me do a check."

Irked by her persistence and her proximity, he shook his head. "No. Just heal the eyes and nothing else. You have to conserve chakra." One of them had to have enough chakra to fight off potential enemies.

She did not look convinced. However, to his relief, she finally nodded.

The moment she reached out to him, Itachi closed his eyes. Soon, he felt the familiar warmth of her healing chakra entering his eyes, focusing on the centre of his discomfort. It was odd how he was no longer wary of her coming this close to his eyes. In fact, she was possibly the only living person who had the privilege of doing so.

The healing did not take long and soon, the flow of Sakura's chakra ceased.

Itachi lifted his lids to see Sakura getting to her feet. Although his vision was much better now, he found to his consternation that he unable to focus very well. The tampering of the seal must have affected him more than he had anticipated and it appeared that it was worsening.

Still, there was nothing he could do about it now. Once he was alone, he would inspect and repair it.

"I-It's cold," the kunoichi declared after a while, crouching in front of the small, smokeless fire as she rubbed her palms together.

"Aa."

The chill was seeping into his bones relentlessly. He was shivering, an unusual occurrence for him and he felt strangely weak from it. A quick glance at his companion told him that she was just as cold, and her lips were beginning to turn colorless. The fire was too small to provide a good amount of heat but it would be dangerous to create a larger fire with those occasional gusts of wind blowing in.

There was only one sensible thing to do.

"Come."

Pausing her hands mid-rub, she cast him a questioning look over her shoulder. It was clear that she was not moving until he explained himself. He was reluctant to explain such an obvious thing to her, especially considering the unsettling sense of anticipation he was currently experiencing at the notion of her body close to his.

"We have to share body heat," he finally declared.

Her eyes bugged and her jaw dropped as she tried to spin around to face him. Much to Itachi's amusement, she misbalanced and fell on her rear. Jumping to her feet, she shot a stunned look at him.

"WHAT?!"

"You are a medic-nin, are you not?" Not waiting for her to respond, he continued, "Sharing body heat is the only option in this situation."

Her eyes flickered. "But…"

He raised a brow.

She stared at him for a long moment before she finally nodded slowly.

"Fine." Her voice was strained.

Silently, she stepped closer and settled next to him. Turning her back towards him, she laid on her side. Her entire posture was rigid but Itachi ignored it as he laid down, pressing his own back against hers. Although it was not very comfortable, the small amount of warmth filtering through their clothes was better than nothing.

It did not take long before her breathing evened out and her body relaxed, telling him that she was fast asleep. It hardly surprised him, for they had been on the moved for a considerable length of time.

Closing his eyes, Itachi tried to sleep. The throbbing in his head and the sensation of his muscles growing weaker compounded his discomfort. He noticed that his breath was becoming shallower. His hazy mind struggled to make sense of what was happening to him but failed to grasp the elusive threads of logic.

His jumbled thoughts were cut short when the kunoichi moved closer to him, causing him to turn around to see what she was doing. Laid on his back now, Itachi simply stared at the blur of pink hair in front of his face. Difficulty in falling asleep was nothing new to him but it was an impossible task right now considering how she was pressing herself against his arm to seek warmth.

With a soft snuffle, she rolled further to end up pressing their chests together. Through the fabric, Itachi could feel every curve of her body and his own body warmed further in response. There was also an unfamiliar buzz running along his vein, making him feel odd. He could not recall being in such a heightened state when he was in contact with his other bedmates. Perhaps in Sakura's case, it was the consequence of weeks of unresolved tension.

Her eyelids fluttered to reveal a pair of soft green orbs and Itachi found himself mesmerized by them. He could feel the warmth of her breath against his lips, drawing his gaze downwards as his hand slid around her waist.

Without conscious thought, he pressed forward, brushing his lips against hers. Her lips felt so soft under his, prompting him to dart his tongue out to lick the seam.

A soft gasp left her then and those emerald eyes shot open fully. Itachi met her gaze unflinchingly, half-expecting her to pull away. However, she made no move to do so.

Finding it difficult to form a single coherent thought, Itachi sealed their lips together again, deepening the kiss as his arm tightened around her waist. Her whimper melded with a moan, the sound vibrating against his tongue, sending hot shivers down his spine.

Something at the back of his mind nudged him, reminding him that this was highly inappropriate. The temptation to ignore it was strong, but a moment of clarity came upon Itachi when her cold fingers came into contact with his neck.

His in-built shinobi senses kicked in at the perceived threat and he pulled back in reflex to see her flushed face staring at him. Her parted lips were reddened from their kiss and the urge to continue to touch her slammed into him.

Then their eyes locked.

"I-Itachi…" Her voice was shaky.

It was clear that she was shocked by his action. In fact, he could not comprehend why he had done it. Not knowing how to respond to her unspoken question, Itachi closed his eyes and said the only thing he could think of at that moment.

"Sleep."

Besides, he felt so tired.

* * *

Sakura stared at Itachi's closed eyes in disbelief, her entire body still frozen in shock.

Sleep?

How could she sleep after something like that? She had been half-asleep when it began but she could remember every single touch. There was no way she could forget how his lips felt and what his tongue did to hers. She had been kissed before it had never felt like this. Her entire body was still burning from the reaction to that one single kiss.

What was worse was that she had allowed it to happen without pushing him away. Tired or not, she should not have given in.

An unintelligible murmur from Itachi drew her attention to him, breaking her growing panic.

Eyes darting toward him, Sakura frowned at the Uchiha's uncharacteristic display. In all the time she had seen him sleep, he never uttered a single sound.

"… attachment to the clan…" A pause followed before he murmured, "…despicable…"

Her eyes went to the frown adorning his brows just below his hitai-ate before it went lower. Wait, what was that above his lips? Squinting, Sakura finally made out what it was.

Sweat droplets.

She blinked in surprise. Itachi was sweating in this freezing cave? How could that be? Concerned, she laid the back of her hand against his cheek. The first thing that struck her was the fact that he did not react when she touched him. And the second was that his temperature was abnormally high. A closer inspection told her that he was having difficulty breathing.

Realizing that Itachi was not well, Sakura sat up abruptly, her discomfort at their kiss completely forgotten. His wounds must be more serious than he had let on. Cursing at herself for not insisting on checking him thoroughly earlier, Sakura leaned over him worriedly. Gathering chakra, she pressed her glowing hands on his chest.

Her eyes widened when she realized what had happened.

Itachi was poisoned. And from the looks of it, it had a delayed reaction. How had they missed it?

She frowned in consternation when she recalled what Itachi had said about conserving chakra. There was definitely not enough for her to execute her poison extraction technique and then have some left-over to protect both of them. Groaning out loud, she clapped her hands to her forehead, trying to think of another way to stop the poison from killing Itachi.

Instead of drawing the poison out, maybe she could just try to neutralize it. It would require less chakra, but it was less effective. Itachi's body would have to work hard and considering the state he was in, this would probably be close to torture for him. But still, that was her only option right now. She would have to find the poison's entry point and work from there.

A sudden thought slammed into her as her eyes landed on the slashed Leaf symbol on his hitai-ate. Paused above his body, her fingers clenched spasmodically as she wrestled with the contentious thoughts running through her mind.

The thoughts that she had pushed to the back of her mind during Itachi's fight with Sasuke resurfaced once again.

Her mission for Konoha was simple. It was to infiltrate the Akatsuki with the objective of destroying the organization.

Itachi was an Akatsuki member. One less Akatsuki member meant that Konoha was one step closer to winning this battle against the Akatsuki. Right now, Itachi was slowly succumbing to the poison in his system. It would not jeopardize her position if he died, seeing that he had not been poisoned at her hands. Finding a reason for her inability to heal him should not be too difficult. Therefore she should simply let him die.

Her hands tightened into fists as she gritted her teeth, torn with indecision. Could she let Itachi die?

Her eyes swept over his pain-filled features, feeling her breath hitch in her chest as she did so. The sight of the usually strong Itachi in so much pain brought forth the need to soothe him, to heal him. Whatever her mind was telling her, Sakura knew that it was impossible for her to leave him to suffer like this.

She had not been able to stop herself from attempting to break up the fight between Itachi and Sasuke. So what made her think that she could just leave Itachi here to die now?

She could not allow Itachi to suffer any more than she could to Naruto, Kakashi or the rest of her friends. Caring for her friends was second nature to her. But it was clear that Itachi did not fit into the 'friends' category. What she felt for him was so different from what she felt for her friends. Their kiss earlier only cemented the fact.

So what was Itachi to her?

Her eyes slanted down to her clenched hands as she swallowed past the dryness in her throat. She was just fooling herself to think that she was beginning to get over her infatuation with Itachi. The signs were unmistakable. She was far more attached to Itachi than she had realized and something told her that it was too late for her to do anything about it now.

She was doomed.

* * *

A/N: That's it for now. As for the next chapter, I think you'll be relieved to hear that things will lighten up again after these two 'heavy' chapters. Hope you've enjoyed that and if you could, please review. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recogniz

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thanks so much for reviewing the previous chapter. Big hugs to all of you! Okay, here comes some news that you might not be too happy to know. The next chapter may be late by a few days, which means that I'll post it in around 10 or 11 days' time. The reason is, I have been neglecting my Inuyasha stories and I need to get one chapter out this week before the guilt eats me up alive. So, to make up for the long wait, I've written an extra long chapter this week. Hope you will enjoy it!

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 19**

As tendrils of wakefulness weaved through him, Itachi gradually became conscious of the throbbing sensation pounding through his body. Strangely enough, it was interspersed with a familiar warmth on his chest. Eyes still closed, he hissed softly through his teeth at the conflicting feelings. He could handle the pain. It was not as bad as some he had experienced in the past. What he did not understand was how he had ended up in this state.

What had happened to him?

He forced his eyes open to find Sakura leaning over him, her eyes closed and her hands placed on his chest. His gaze slid beyond her towards the damp rock wall arching over them, telling him that they were in a cave.

Almost immediately, fragments of memories came back to him. Much to his confusion, the memories were frustratingly disjointed. He recalled running through the forest of Fire Country and then crossing over the Lightning Country border to avoid pursuit. It had been raining and it was cold. Eventually, Sakura had led them to a cave in the cliff, he recalled as he scanned the dark space around them.

His brows furrowed slightly when his gaze landed on another figure of Sakura sitting by the cave entrance, her eyes closed in meditation. Snapping his attention back to the kunoichi leaning over him, Itachi's eyes narrowed. There were two Sakuras, therefore one was definitely a clone.

Itachi reached up and gripped a slender wrist.

Her eyes instantly flew open, revealing a pair of surprised emerald orbs as the warmth on his chest ceased. He tightened his grip and watched as she exploded into a cloud of smoke. So this one was the clone, Itachi noted.

A gasp sounded from the cave entrance and then an annoyed voice reached him. "What did you do that for?!"

He turned to the side to find the real Sakura rushing towards him, her expression a mix of exasperation and concern. Dropping onto her knees beside him, she placed her glowing hands over his body and once again, he was graced with her familiar warmth. Like what the clone had done just moments ago, this Sakura was using her medical chakra on him. But why?

Puzzled by her action, he asked flatly, "What are you doing?"

Frowning in concentration, a moment passed before she muttered, "What does it look like? I'm healing you."

"Why?" he asked as he circled her wrists to stop her flow of chakra and sat up.

Her entire body stilled at their proximity. Slowly, she slanted her gaze towards his face.

The moment their eyes met, a memory flooded his mind. A memory of him holding her close as he explored her lips. A memory of how she had moaned into his mouth as they laid side by side on the cold floor. A memory of how she had tasted on his tongue.

Itachi froze.

Had something like that truly happened? Had he kissed her?

Averting her eyes, she said softly, almost uncomfortably, "You were poisoned."

Her reaction was enough to confirm that it had happened, reiterated by way she held herself so stiffly. He had kissed Sakura and she was discomfited by it. Somehow, this reaction of hers was not unexpected.

Then his eyes widened in astonishment as her words sank in. "Poisoned?" he repeated slowly.

She nodded once. "You took a number of hits from the enemy's senbon. One of them must have contained some poison. You were a little… delirious."

So that was why he had kissed her? Because he had been delirious from the effects of the poison? No, he would not delude himself. Their physical attraction had always been there. The poison had only lowered his guard. But what about hers? If he recalled correctly, she had not protested.

"Itachi-san?"

Their eyes locked again and before he could consider his own actions, Itachi's allowed his gaze to lower to her lips. A stray notion entered his mind then.

Would she protest if he attempted to kiss her again?

"Itachi-san!"

He lifted his gaze to see her staring at him, her face slightly flushed. Perhaps she had guessed what he was thinking.

Grimacing inwardly, he gave himself a mental shake. The fact that they kissed should not be his main concern. His main concern should be the fact that he had been poisoned without his knowledge. On hindsight, the signs had been there. However, he had foolishly ignored it, thinking that the oddness he had felt was the result of him tampering with the seal.

"Um…" she began, and then halted uncertainly as her eyes flicked to his hand. "You mind letting go of my wrist?"

Itachi glanced down at his much larger fingers encircling her wrist. Brushing away the thought that her form was deceptively fragile considering her monstrous strength, he slowly uncurled his fingers, allowing her to pull her hand away.

"How long have we been here?" he asked quietly.

"A little more than one day."

He frowned. "Too long."

She scowled. "Well, I didn't have enough chakra to heal you all at once, alright? At least, not without depleting myself completely." Her lips twisted slightly. "And since you told me to conserve chakra just in case we were ambushed, I used the chakra in my bug clones to heal you."

She had made a sensible decision. It would have been foolish to heal him completely while depleting herself of chakra, leaving them completely defenseless.

"Good thing you're out of danger. Because that clone you saw was the last one. How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

She gave him a disbelieving look, one which he ignored as he pushed himself to his feet. Pain shot through his body at the abrupt movement but Itachi willed himself to remain standing. Perhaps he was not quite healed but the pain was bearable.

"You need to rest," the kunoichi exclaimed insistently as she clamped a hand around his arm. "Don't get up just yet."

No. He needed to move. There was something that he had to see to urgently.

The seal.

Because of his uncertainty about the condition of the seal, he had allowed himself to succumb to the poison. This was not acceptable and he would have to rectify it immediately. He could not afford to risk something like this again. If Sakura had not been around, he could have died.

Firmly dislodging her hand from his arm, he instructed, "Stay here."

As her hand fell to her side, she blinked at him in surprise. "What?!"

"I will return in a few hours."

Her expression turned incredulous. "Are you out of your mind?! Itachi, the poison might be expelled, but your body is still working to heal itself. Can't you feel it? You need to rest so that your body can heal fully."

Two things occurred to him then. First, Sakura had addressed him without the usual honorific. His name sounded so familiar on her lips, so natural that he did not know what to make of it. And secondly, he now understood why he was still in pain. However, she had also said that he was out of danger, therefore a few hours of chakra utilization would surely be acceptable.

"Wait here… Sakura."

Lips parting in surprise at his words, she simply stared at him. If she wished to address him in such a familiar manner, she would have to contend with him doing the same thing to her. Besides, 'Sakura-san' was beginning to sound somewhat too formal.

Leaving her to gape at him, Itachi walked past her and exited the cave.

* * *

The moment Itachi disappeared from sight, Sakura let out the breath she had been holding.

He had called her by her name. Just her name and nothing else. It was not a big deal, right? A lot of other people did it. So why did it seem like something special when it came from Itachi? Perhaps it was because that little bit of formality had now been stripped from their relationship.

Sakura groaned out loud as she slumped to the ground. Crossing her arms over her knees and then resting her forehead on them, she inhaled deeply.

This whole thing between her and Itachi was getting ridiculous. At least on her side. She was so attuned to him, so sensitive to whatever he said or did that it was beginning to really grate on her. This sort of distraction was the last thing she needed during this mission. What was worse was that her attraction to him had already affected some of the decisions she had made.

She exhaled slowly.

If Itachi felt this thing between them, he was definitely not showing it. He had not even mentioned that kiss, she thought with a glower. On the other hand, this was Itachi, so she should not really expect the reticent Uchiha to talk about something like that. Hell, he probably did not remember what had happened in the first place. After all, he had been delirious when it happened.

It was a good thing that he did not remember, right? This way, she could pretend that it never happened, right?

Something told her that she was simply lying to herself but Sakura shook the thought away. Lying to herself or not, nothing good could come out of the entire thing, so it was best that she forget that it ever happened. Doing anything else would be asking for trouble.

And what did Itachi think he was doing, walking out like that when he had barely recovered? What was so urgent that he had to go off on his own for a few hours? His evasive behavior was suspicious and she wondered if Pein and the rest knew about his occasional disappearance from the rest of the Akatsuki team without any explanation. It had happened a few times already. And the most recent one was right after Deidara had spoken about Tobi's strangeness.

Come to think of it, why Itachi was so interested in what Tobi was doing? From what she could tell, Itachi and Tobi did not have much to do with each other. They were in different teams and she had not seen them work together in any missions in all these months she had been in the Akatsuki.

Sakura lifted her head from her knees and frowned thoughtfully. Yeah, she could associate a lot of things which did not seem right with Itachi recently.

The oddest thing must be that odd chakra flow in his body. The fact that he had been evasive when she asked told her that there was definitely something more to it. When she had been healing him last night with her clones, she had been tempted to probe further but knowing that she had to conserve chakra, she had refrained from doing so. Besides, if he was to find out that she had been probing him, the consequences would not be pretty.

Also, Itachi had reacted somewhat strangely when it came to Sasuke. She had not expected him to readily allow her to send Sasuke back to Konoha. And now that she thought about it, unlike Itachi's life-threatening wounds, Sasuke's injuries had been minor in comparison. Sure the younger had been knocked unconscious and had suffered burns, but towards the end of the battle, Itachi could have easily killed Sasuke with the Amaterasu. Instead, Itachi had withdrawn the attack.

Could it be that Itachi had some sort of hidden agenda behind his actions? If that was the case, then what was it? Could it be something that would affect her mission for Konoha, or was it something else altogether?

For someone who has something to hide, Itachi was not doing it very well when it came to her. Surely if he did not want anyone to learn of his intentions, he would have tried harder to conceal it. However, the fact that he had not done so told Sakura that whatever it was, it had nothing to do with her.

In addition to that, he did not even try very hard to hide the fact that he had been spying on her. It was as if he did not care. That was good, right? If Itachi was distracted by whatever he was doing behind Akatsuki's back, he would be less bothered about what she was up to.

Still, she could not help but wonder what it was that he was hiding.

* * *

The lush trees of the Fire Country swayed gently in the morning breeze, sounding as if they were whispering secrets to each other. In the horizon, the sun was rising steadily, signaling the beginning of yet another balmy day.

In front of the Konoha gates, two shinobi stood facing each other.

Keeping his distance, Kakashi watched silently as Naruto and the hachibi jinchuuriki conversed casually. It never failed to amaze him how the clumsy blonde could make friends so easily with just about everyone he met.

Tsunade was right to say that Naruto possessed the gift to change others. Akira had been nothing but hostile towards all of them until the day Naruto visited him in the hospital. Since then, the brown-haired shinobi had loosened up, allowing them to question him. They had learnt nothing new about the Akatsuki but they had certainly gained a new appreciation for Sakura's development.

The last time he had seen her was four months ago, or had it been longer than that? It was so hard to tell with time passing by so quickly. From Akira's narrative, it had sounded as if Sakura was a fully fledge member of the Akatsuki now. Akira had also said that Sakura was the one who had dealt him the knock-out blow in the battle. The pink-haired kunoichi had certainly come far from the dependent little girl he had met almost seven years ago.

A burst of laughter broke his train of thought and Kakashi returned his attention to Naruto and Akira. As much as the friendship between the two jinchuuriki had grown, Akira had insisted on leaving, stating that he did not wish to tie himself down to any hidden villages. It was understandable, seeing that he had broken off all contact with his own village many years ago.

Placing his hand on Akira's shoulder, Naruto said, "Don't forget to drop by sometime. We can go for ramen then."

Lips tilting slightly, Akira nodded. "Yeah."

Naruto beamed. "Well, I'll see you soon."

As Kakashi continued to watch, Akira spun around, tossing a wave over his shoulder while he walked away from the gates. For a long time, Naruto simply stood there, his eyes trailing after the disappearing figure of the other shinobi. For some reason, Kakashi just knew that the two of them would meet again. That always happened with those who had forged links with Naruto.

The sound of rapid footsteps caught his attention a short while later. Kakashi shifted around to see the approach of a familiar chuunin. He was one of the shinobi Tsunade normally assign to run errands.

Soon, the breathless chuunin skidded to a halt in front of him. "Kakashi-senpai!"

"What is it?" Kakashi asked curiously, wondering what the Godaime wanted.

"The Hokage wants you in the hospital now."

Kakashi's eyes widened in comprehension. The hospital could only mean one thing. Sasuke must have awakened and Tsunade wanted him there for the first meeting. Or rather, interrogation.

Naruto was beside him in an instant, his eyes wide with hope and anticipation. "Is it Sasuke? Is Sasuke awake?" the blonde asked urgently.

The chuunin nodded.

Kakashi wanted to groan out loud. The last thing he needed was the hyperactive blonde's presence during the interrogation. Tsunade would want to find out what exactly Sasuke had been up to over the years and whether or not he had done anything to jeopardize Konoha. Not to mention there was also the mystery of how Sasuke had ended up unconscious in front of the Konoha gates all of a sudden. Kakashi doubted that Sasuke had voluntarily returned to Konoha, considering his hunger for revenge. The most likely scenario was that someone had left him there. But who could have done something like that?

"What are you waiting for, Kakashi-sensei? Sasuke is awake!" Naruto shouted as he streaked away in the direction of the hospital.

Kakashi lifted his gaze to the sky and sighed wearily. There was going to be trouble ahead. He could just feel it.

Glancing back down, he nodded at the bewildered chuunin. "Better get back to your post now."

Clasping his hands, Kakashi executed a teleportation jutsu and in seconds, found himself outside the hospital. Before he could move, Naruto shot past him, almost crashing into a couple of shrieking medics. Shaking his head in resignation, Kakashi entered the hospital and quickly made his way towards Sasuke's room.

He caught up with Naruto just outside the room but was not fast enough to prevent Naruto from flinging the door open, barging in with complete disregard for propriety.

"Sasuke!" Naruto hollered loudly as he lunged into the room, causing Kakashi to wince.

The blonde's entrance was immediately followed by the Godaime's irate hiss. "What are you doing in here, Uzumaki?!"

Stepping in at a more sedate pace, Kakashi eyed the other occupants of the room. Laid on the bed, tucked under the white sheets, Sasuke barely spared a glance at the excited Naruto. An annoyed Tsunade and a grim Ibiki were there as well, both standing to one side of the silent Uchiha. If Kakashi had to guess, he would say that the interrogation had begun but judging from their expressions, it was clear that they had gotten nowhere.

Naruto went to the side of the bed, seemingly oblivious to how Sasuke was pointedly ignoring him. "So, teme, you're finally back."

The Uchiha responded with silence.

Unperturbed, the grinning Naruto went on, "It has been a while. But I guess you're back to stay, huh?"

Kakashi was not surprised when Sasuke remained silent. It was pointless to talk to Sasuke with so many people around, so Kakashi turned to Tsunade instead.

"He is well?"

Tsunade nodded once. "His injuries are healed." Inclining her head towards Ibiki, she added, "Ibiki has been trying to talk to Sasuke."

Yes. It was as he had guessed.

Arms crossed over his chest, Ibiki stared down at the mutinous Sasuke. "Talk. Or I'll make you talk."

Sasuke simply turned to glare at him, his dark eyes steady and unrelenting.

Naruto spun around to face the interrogation expert. "Give him a break, damn it! Sasuke just got home."

"Uzumaki!" Tsunade barked. "Get out now if you can't keep your mouth shut."

Naruto clamped his lips together but continued to stand by Sasuke, who was now staring fixedly up at the ceiling, ignoring everyone around him.

Kakashi suppressed a sigh as he rubbed his hand over the back of his head. This was not going well at all. Sasuke was not planning on being cooperative. It was not unexpected, since the Uchiha probably knew that he would not be escaping Konoha so easily this time.

It was a bad move to allow Naruto into the room even though Kakashi knew that no one would be able to stop him. Ibiki would have an even harder time interrogating Sasuke with the protective blonde present. Perhaps now that Naruto had laid eyes on Sasuke, they should force him out of the room.

In fact, Ibiki should leave as well. The interrogator could do his job formally later.

Kakashi turned to the blonde. "Naruto, go find Sai."

Attention shifting away from Sasuke, Naruto's brows furrowed in confusion. "Sai? What for?"

"Find Sai and wait for me on the bridge. There is something I need to tell you two," Kakashi fabricated.

His blue eyes flicking towards Sasuke, Naruto hesitated. "But I just got here."

"You've seen enough to know that Sasuke is well, don't you think?" Kakashi remarked casually. "Go now. Come back later if you want. Sasuke is not going anywhere."

Naruto looked as if he was about to protest, and then with obvious reluctance, he nodded. Glancing at Sasuke just before he exited the room, Naruto said, "Get better fast, teme. We have a score to settle."

An exasperated huff escaped the Hokage as Naruto slammed out of the room.

Then Kakashi turned to the interrogation specialist. "Don't you have something else to do, Morino?" Kakashi asked pointedly.

Ibiki frowned slightly and then slid a glance towards Sasuke. "I'm not done," he rasped.

"And you know that you'll get nothing done today," Kakashi pointed out. "I think it's best that the interrogation is recommenced later."

Frown deepening, Ibiki slanted a questioning look at Tsunade. "Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage adopted a thoughtful look. Then, to Kakashi's relief, Tsunade finally gestured to the door wearily.

"Come back tomorrow, Ibiki."

With a single nod, the interrogation expert left the room.

With Ibiki and Naruto safely out of the way, Kakashi closed the door. Now his only problem was to get Tsunade out of there. He knew Sasuke well enough to know that the Uchiha would not talk when there were others around.

Stuffing his hand into his pouch, Kakashi retrieved the latest volume of his Icha Icha collection and settled on the only available chair in the room. He was prepared to wait until the right moment arrived. By his estimation, it would not take long.

"What are you doing, Kakashi?" Tsunade asked incredulously.

"Eh? Reading," he replied nonchalantly, slanting a glance up at the scowling Hokage.

Tsunade's brow ticked. "And you think this is an appropriate time to do so?"

Kakashi leveled a meaningful look at her. "Yes."

She glanced once towards the silent Uchiha. Then, planting her hands on her hips, she turned back to him.

"Well, I'll leave you here then."

Eyeing her over his book, Kakashi nodded once. Tsunade understood what he was trying to do, or else she would not go so quickly. Then again, Tsunade had always been quite perceptive.

Once the Hokage left the room, leaving him alone with Sasuke, Kakashi returned his attention to his book. He was quite prepared to remain this room for a long time, especially with his trusty Icha Icha to keep him company. No doubt Sasuke would make this difficult for everyone, but Kakashi had spent months training the boy and in that time, he had come to understand the Uchiha somewhat.

Sasuke would crack. The question was when.

Kakashi did not have to wait long before he heard the Uchiha's terse voice.

"What do you want?"

Without lowering his book, Kakashi murmured lazily, "Nothing."

A long moment of silence passed before the sound of Sasuke shifting on the bed filtered to Kakashi. Glancing sideways, Kakashi noted that Sasuke had pushed himself up into a sitting position and was now staring out of the window. No doubt he was contemplating escape.

Well, Sasuke would find it considerably harder to leave this time. High-level ANBU operatives were already stationed on the roof and around the grounds, all with their attention fixed to this particular room. Not to mention Tsunade had inserted a tracking tag into Sasuke's body yesterday.

"You don't have any questions?" Sasuke suddenly asked.

Kakashi raised a brow. "Hm?"

His eyes still fixed to the window, Sasuke asked, "Where did you find me?"

Kakashi hid his surprise. So, Sasuke did not recall anything? This could be a problem. "You don't remember?" he asked cautiously.

The Uchiha did not respond.

"Outside the Konoha gates," Kakashi finally said.

"I see." Sasuke's voice was strained.

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"Fighting."

"Who."

The Uchiha's expression darkened and his eyes flashed crimson. A long pause followed before Sasuke spoke again and when he did, his voice was harsh.

"Itachi and Sakura."

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock.

* * *

Sakura snuck a glance at her partner.

The last one week had been a rush but Itachi had shown no sign of relapsing even though they had been moving at a breakneck speed. After Itachi had returned from wherever he had disappeared to, they had resumed their journey in Lightning Country. It had not taken her long to locate her contacts and procure a good number of possible missions. Keen to return to Fire Country to collect the remaining fees from Kajimaru, she had pushed them both to hurry. Itachi had not asked for the reason behind her rush and she had not offered to explain.

If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that the main reason was because she wanted to regroup with Kisame. Not for the first time, she cursed the fact that Itachi had kissed her. Because now, she could not help but recall that little incident at the most inappropriate time. Seeing Itachi every waking hour did not help at all although she had forced herself to interact with Itachi as if nothing was different. All she wanted was Kisame's presence to act as a buffer between them.

Thankfully, Pein had contacted them yesterday to instruct them to meet at their base in Lightning Country itself. Their leader was anxious to begin gathering funds, meaning that they would have to commence their side missions soon. What was most important was that it meant that the trip was cut short, much to Sakura's relief.

"We are almost there," she muttered out loud as she caught a glimpse of the stone walls in the distance.

"Aa."

It did not take long for them to traverse the damp landscape to reach the gates securing the compound.

Just as she was about to push the gates open, Sakura stilled. Frowning slightly, she focused her attention on the harsh tones carried by the wind towards them. It was too soft to make out the words, but it was clear that an argument was underway. Who was arguing?

She slanted a sideway glance at the Uchiha to find him wearing a cautious look. Itachi was also staring at the direction of the voices, so he must have heard them as well. It was then that she wondered if she should risk something. She knew of a way to listen in, but it meant that she would be revealing her intention to spy.

Just as she was about to discard the idea, her thoughts from a week ago came back to her. Surely this was a good time to check just how loyal Itachi was to the Akatsuki. There was no reason for him to stop her from listening if he had something against the Akatsuki. On the other hand, if he stopped her, she could always say that she only wanted to make sure that they were not being ambushed.

Yes. That might just work.

"Wait."

Itachi glanced at her, looking somewhat puzzled when she raised her glowing fingertips to her ears and paused. Then she watched as his eyes narrowed slightly. From the look on his face, Sakura knew that Itachi understood what she was trying to do. The question was, how would he react to it?

"I'm going to listen in," she announced quietly. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

For a moment, he simply studied her thoughtfully and Sakura fought the urge to fidget. Had she pushed her luck too far? Would Itachi restrain her now and drag her straight to Pein under the suspicion of spying?

Then he finally nodded, "Very well."

Surprise mixed with relief and Sakura had to quickly mask her reaction. His words had just confirmed that his own agenda was likely to be separate from the Akatsuki's. Pushing the information to the back of her mind to be dissected later, she nodded at Itachi and completed the enhancement technique on her ears.

All at once, the previously subtle noises of their surrounding became unbearably loud. Grimacing at the obvious side effect of the jutsu, Sakura focused her attention on the spoken words from the distance and tried to blank out the other noises.

Soon, the words became clearer, allowing her to make sense of the conversation.

_"Madara-san. We cannot take the bijuu's power from the statue, not without the kyuubi. You know that without the kyuubi's contribution, the statue isn't stable enough for us to extract power to go around."_

_"But it is enough for one."_

_A pause followed before Pein said in a cold voice. "The power is to be allocated to all of us, not just one, albeit in different proportions. It's not acceptable that you should get it first."_

_"Your objective is to control all the nations. How do you plan to do this when you can't even take over a country without its own hidden village? Or perhaps you know of a better way to encourage Tea Country to bow to us."_

_"No, I don't. But I'm not going to agree with your plan of taking power from the statue, not when the rest of us have to wait."_

_"You dare to tell me such a thing after you've failed to secure one of the biggest territories?" Madara ground out._

_"The daimyo has no need to come to the Akatsuki because he already has help."_

_"Regardless, you failed to complete the takeover." Madara's tone was harsh._

_A pause followed before Pein spoke again. "Sakura might be behind this. Itachi is under orders to watch her, but he reported nothing suspicious so far."_

_"I do not recall authorizing this action," Madara said coldly._

_"The kunoichi was recommended by yourself. You may be biased, therefore I took the necessary steps to protect the interest of the organization."_

_"You went behind my back?" Madara's tone was threatening._

_"The situation calls for it," Pein said stonily._

_"We have an agreement. You act as the face of the leader while I, Madara, make the decisions. When did things change?"_

_"Since we've been experiencing leaks."_

_A pause followed. When Madara spoke, his voice was low. "You suspect me of interfering with my own plans?"_

_"Not you as such, but the life-forces sustaining you. It is possible that it might influence you, even take over."_

_"The jutsu is flawless. Unlike Orochimaru's pitiful attempts to copy it, mine is the original technique."_

_"Still, the leaks are real. And you cannot fault me for being cautious."_

_"Go behind my back again and you will suffer the consequences."_

_"You dare to threaten me?" Pein ground out icily._

_"It is merely a warning."_

_A heavy silence filled the air. When they next spoke again, their voices were calmer._

_"How are things coming along in Konoha?"_

_"As well as expected. They will mobilize when I instruct them to." A pause followed before Madara spoke again. "Something interesting has happened."_

_"What?"_

_Madara chuckled darkly. "I will tell you when I learn more about it."_

* * *

Itachi's eyes did not leave the kunoichi's face as she continued to listen intently. He was rather surprised that she was openly spying without any sign of guilt. Perhaps she was simply sating her own curiosity and it had nothing to do with betraying the Akatsuki. Whatever her reason was, he had no intention of stopping her, for he too, wished to know what was being discussed.

As he continued to watch, her expression displayed her confusion at whatever she was hearing and her eyes flickered in shock a few times. He had managed to make out Pein's voice earlier but heard nothing else. Who was Pein talking to?

After a long while, she lowered her hands to her side. Brows furrowed, she stared thoughtfully into the distance.

"What did you hear?" Itachi asked levelly, concealing his impatience.

She bit her lips as she turned to face him. "I'm not sure what's happening."

"Tell me."

"Pein is talking to someone." She took a deep breath. "They were arguing about the sealing statue. Pein wanted to start extracting the power, but the other one wanted to wait until we got the kyuubi."

"The other one?"

"Um… Who is Madara?"

Itachi stilled. "Why do you ask?" he responded cautiously.

She hesitated. When she finally spoke, her tone betrayed her confusion. "It sounds like Pein is talking to someone called Madara. This Madara claims that some of his powers are sealed inside the kyuubi. The only Madara I know of is the one who fought the Shodaime but he could not possibly be still alive."

Itachi kept his expression impassive as he took in her words. So, his suspicions were proven correct. Madara was the other Uchiha alive. No human, however powerful, could live that long naturally. Therefore the only explanation was that Madara had used some forbidden jutsu to maintain his life. The puzzle was beginning to fit together. Madara had been the one behind everything all this while and now that this was confirmed, what he remembered from long ago began to make sense.

"You know something, don't you?" she asked.

Itachi glanced at Sakura to find her wearing a suspicious look. "What else did you hear?" he evaded.

"Nothing."

Itachi eyed her contemplatively. "Sakura, do not lie."

She scowled at him. "It has nothing to do with you, alright?"

He raised a brow.

With an exasperated huff, she exclaimed, "Fine! It was about me. Pein suspects that I'm leaking information, alright? But I guess you already know that."

"Perhaps," he responded noncommittally.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you really up to, Itachi?"

So, she suspected him of something. Finding it amusing that everyone seemed to be suspicious of those around them, Itachi smirked inwardly. In a way, such a thing should not be unexpected, considering their backgrounds.

"Itachi, you're behaving odd."

"It is none of your concern."

The look she gave him was full of questions but to Itachi's surprise, there was also a hint of concern in her eyes. Was she worried that he might get into trouble with the Akatsuki, or was she simply worried for herself?

He felt compelled to warn her. "Do not speak of this in front of the others."

At the same time, he was wondering what possessed him to be so open with her. She could turn upon him at any moment after all, considering that he was not certain where her loyalties lay. Still, he was certain that in this particular case, she would not be discussing this with others, considering that she would only implicate herself as a spy if she did so.

"Why would I do something like that?" she muttered as she turned towards the gates again. "Like you said, it's none of my business."

"Hm."

Gesturing to the gates, she remarked, "Let's go in. Maybe we'll get to see this Madara person."

He doubted it. Without saying another word, they performed the seals to unlock the gates and then pushed the heavy barrier open. They were immediately greeted by a brick building in the centre of the sprawling space within the compound walls. The area was dotted with tall, bare trees, giving the place a somewhat sinister appearance.

It did not escape Itachi's notice that he could only sense a single presence when they stepped into the compound.

"Where's everyone?" the kunoichi asked with a frown as she walked over the gravel path which lead them to the main building. "Only Tobi is here, from what I can tell."

"Aa."

This, in addition to the fact that Sakura had just told him that Pein was conversing with Madara confirmed to Itachi that Tobi was simply a disguise for Madara. Seeing that Pein's presence was nowhere to be found meant that the so-called Akatsuki leader had projected in earlier. It was hardly surprising seeing that for security reasons, they were not meant to be in their physical states all at the same place at the same time.

Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction. No amount of security would protect Madara once he progressed the next stage of his plans. As it was, his brief inspection of his seal recently told him that he had not done any permanent damage to the jutsu. In fact, the seal was ready for the next step.

The door flew open just as they reached the building, revealing a shinobi wearing a mask with swirling patterns.

"Ah! Both of you are early!" Tobi exclaimed cheerfully, twisting to one side to allow them to enter. "Good, that's good. Pein-san will be most pleased to know this."

"Where are the rest?" Sakura asked as she stepped past Tobi into the building.

Itachi stared at the masked shinobi's back as Tobi walked alongside Sakura. Madara was certainly a very good actor, seeing that Sakura did not place him as the one whose voice she had heard earlier. As Tobi went up the stairs with her, heading towards the cluster of bedrooms, Itachi wondered if kunoichi suspected anything at all

His steps slowed when Tobi guided Sakura to the room opposite the one he usually occupied. Was that the only room available? Slanting a glance at the kunoichi's face, Itachi noted that although her expression betrayed nothing, there was a thoughtful light in her eyes.

"This is your room, Sakura-san. I thought you'd want to stay close to Itachi-san."

Itachi stiffened slightly at those words. Did Tobi know about this strange attraction between him and the kunoichi? Or was it simply an offhand remark?

"What are you talking about, Tobi?" the kunoichi exclaimed incredulously, her face reddening visibly. "For the record, I don't need to be close to Itachi."

Tobi shrank back. "Uh… I thought since you traveled together so often… Then, you see…" he faltered uncertainly.

Sakura interjected quickly, "Never mind. I'll take the room."

The masked shinobi instantly brightened. "Good!" Pushing the door open, Tobi continued, "Deidara-senpai and Kisame-san will be arriving tomorrow morning. Pein-san and Konan-san said they would be projecting here for the meeting. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is, Tobi," she muttered absently.

"Pein-san said that you were scouting for new missions for us, is that right, Sakura-san?" the masked man asked.

The kunoichi nodded. "I made a list of the potential missions."

Extending a hand towards her, Tobi said, "You can give it to me. Pein wants to see me in a while so I can pass it to him for you. That way, he can look at it tonight and then give us a decision during the meeting tomorrow."

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. If he had to guess, he would say that the other Uchiha wished to scan through the list before Pein. This, couple with what Sakura had said about them arguing about the sealing statue, told Itachi that the relationship between Pein and Tobi was strained. How interesting.

"Itachi?"

He slanted a questioning glance at the kunoichi.

"Do you need the list?" she asked casually as she extracted a scroll from her pouch.

It sounded almost as if she wished for his consent. Surprised that she had thought to ask him, Itachi stared at her for a moment before he spoke.

"Tobi may take it to Pein if he wishes to do so."

Smiling at the masked man, Sakura pushed the scroll into Tobi's hand. "Let us know when is the meeting, okay?"

Nodding vigorously, Tobi chirped, "Of course." Then, raising a hand, he added, "See you later!"

With that, the masked shinobi walked away, leaving Itachi to stare at his retreating back.

Soon, Madara. Soon.

* * *

The moment she shut the door behind her, Sakura slumped against it and closed her eyes.

Exhaling loudly, she tried to make sense of what was happening. She had not told Itachi everything she had heard, simply because she was quite confused about it herself.

What was more disconcerting was the fact that they had entered the compound to find only Tobi there, but no Pein or Madara. Even though she had not heard his voice, Tobi's presence in the building could only mean that the masked shinobi knew Madara and was trusted enough to be allowed to listen to the obviously private conversation between Pein and Madara. This implied that Tobi was placed quite high in the Akatsuki hierarchy.

The moment the realization had struck, Sakura had been unable to view Tobi in the same way as she had done in the past. It had been hard to react like nothing had happened when it was clear that Tobi was not as simple as he seemed. What he allowed them all to see was likely to be a façade.

Who the hell was Madara anyway? Whoever he was, she did not realize that he had been the one to recommend her. And why would Madara do something like that? It was not as if she knew him. As she had said to Itachi earlier, it could not possibly be the founder of the Uchiha clan. As for her recruitment, as far as she knew, Konan was the one who had done the research and sought her out.

But more worrying was their conversation about Konoha. It sounded as if they had something planned for it. She had to get this information to Tsunade as soon as she could. But with Pein asking Itachi to watch her so closely, it might prove to be difficult to do so. Itachi might have his own agenda but it would not stop him from exposing her if he chose to do so. And even though the Uchiha had been acting suspiciously himself, she could not use that information against him. The idea of blackmailing Itachi into silence was so laughably foolish that it was not even worth considering.

Calm down, Sakura, she told herself firmly. Tsunade knew that there were spies in Konoha, so her shishou would have done something about it by now. There was no point in her risking her cover at this critical time. She would only do so when she had concrete information about what the Akatsuki had planned for Konoha and Naruto.

Opening her eyes, she stepped away from the door and surveyed the room. Like all the rest of the Akatsuki bases, this one was also decorated sparsely. There was a table at the corner of the room and the bed was placed not far from it. A window graced the wall opposite the door and Sakura could see the streaks of lightning speeding down in the distance, hitting the ground with a bright flash.

Shrugging off her Akatsuki cloak, she laid down on the bed and closed her eyes. She might as well rest while she had the chance to do so. Soon, they would be busy carrying out missions again and it was best that she was at full strength.

She did not know how long she had slept, but the sound of two familiar voices outside her door awakened her. A quick glance out of the window told her, much to her surprise, that it was already morning.

Blinking off the remnants of her sleep, Sakura yawned and slid off the bed. Walking to the door, she yanked it open and peeked out to find Deidara and Kisame walking towards their rooms next to hers and Itachi's.

"Sakura," Deidara called out with a small wave of his hand.

"Good morning, Deidara." Walking out of her room towards them, she greeted with a grin, "And to you too, Shark-Face."

Kisame's expression darkened as Deidara laughed. "We were just talking about you on the way here, yeah."

Sakura blinked. They were not suspicious of her too, were they? It would be troublesome if they did because it would be even harder for her to send messages back to Konoha when she needed to.

Keeping her tone light, Sakura responded, "Really?"

Deidara's grin widened. "I saw the rubble in the island valley. Who would have thought that a little thing like you could beat Kisame, yeah?"

Catching the murderous glower adorning Kisame's features, Sakura decided that it was best not to embarrass the Mist shinobi too much. "Our score was even before that battle," she admitted.

"He still lost," Deidara pointed out.

"I told you I went easy on her, you bastard," Kisame snarled. "Wouldn't want to damage that pretty ass now, would I?"

Deidara raised a disbelieving brow. "How about you're just too proud to admit that you lost to her, hm?"

Grinning, Sakura continued to watch as the two Akatsuki faced each other.

Kisame ground out, "I wouldn't talk so much if I were you."

Unperturbed, Deidara asked, "Why?"

"I bet she can crush you and your clay into dust," Kisame growled.

Smirking cockily, Deidara declared, "Not a chance. You lost because you just swing that damn sword all over the place without a strategy."

"Oh? I'd like to see you try strategy on her, Blondie."

Deidara spun towards her and lifted a brow. "Looks like I have to prove him wrong, yeah. What do you say, Sakura? Up for a blast?"

He wanted to spar? Sakura blinked, wondering what it would be like to fight with Deidara. The one time they had clashed four years ago did not tell her much, seeing that they did not actually fight each other one to one. Kakashi had been the one who had dealt with Deidara during the mission to rescue Gaara.

"Is that a challenge, Deidara?" she finally asked.

"What? You think I can't defeat you?" Deidara shot back cockily.

She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. If Deidara wanted a fight, she would give him a fight. "Fine. Let's do it then."

"You're on, kunoichi."

Her eyes gleamed in anticipation. "When?"

"How about we get together later today?"

Sakura shook her head. "Don't we have a meeting or something?"

* * *

_"How about we get together later today?"_

_"Don't we have a meeting or something?"_

Itachi was walking up the stairs to find Sakura when Deidara's and the kunoichi's words reached him. A stab of irritation coursed through him at the notion of the two planning to meet later, but he quickly brushed it away. After all, what the kunoichi did with Deidara was none of his concern.

Reaching the top of the stair, he continued down the hallway to join the other three shinobi.

"Itachi-san," Kisame greeted.

Acknowledging his partner with a nod, Itachi told them what Tobi had said to him just a few minutes ago. "The meeting is delayed."

"Delayed?" the kunoichi echoed, her brows furrowing. "Why?"

"Pein could not make it today."

"He got us to rush here and now he can't make it?" Deidara exclaimed incredulously. His eyes flicked around questioningly. "Where's Tobi anyway, yeah?"

"Just outside the compound," Itachi replied. "He is heading out."

Deidara looked as if he was about to say something and then he appeared to change his mind. Turning to the kunoichi instead, the blonde said with a smirk, "I guess we can carry on uninterrupted then."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Like it would make much difference."

Itachi bit back the urge to ask just what it was that they were talking about. It would not do to show too much interest in the kunoichi, regardless of how actually felt. Besides, he needed to tell Kisame something else.

Turning to the Mist shinobi, Itachi said, "Kisame, Pein requires you to run an errant."

"What is it?"

Itachi reached into his pocket and then passed Kisame a folded piece of paper. Without a word, the Mist shinobi took it and scanned though the note. The errant was simply to deliver the funds from the assassination mission to one of Pein's contacts. Something that Kisame could easily handle on his own.

However, Itachi had every intention of using it as an excuse to leave the Akatsuki compound. After all, he had something important to tend to.

Lowering the note, Kisame turned to him. "I take it he wants it done as soon as possible."

"Hm."

"Where are the funds?" Kisame asked.

"What are you two talking about?" the kunoichi interjected curiously.

Ignoring her question, Itachi told Kisame, "The funds are with me. I'll go with you."

"Go where?" Sakura piped up again, this time with a hint of impatience in her tone.

Shifting his attention to her, Kisame smirked, "Curious, aren't we?"

"It's just a simple question, Shark-Face," she retorted indignantly.

"I'm just delivering the funds to some contact, kunoichi." Raising his brow, the Mist shinobi added mockingly, "Going to miss me?"

Her eyes bulged as Deidara began to laugh. "What are you talking about?!" she snapped.

"Calm down, Sakura. Who cares if they're leaving, yeah?" Deidara remarked. Gesturing to the stairs, he added, "Let's go. We might as well start now."

"I need breakfast first, Deidara."

The blonde snorted as he took hold of her shoulders to turn her towards the stairs. "Fine. So long as it's not a delay tactic."

Brushing Deidara's hands away, Sakura wrinkled her nose. "As if," she muttered as she began to walk away.

Itachi could not help but follow the two departing figures with narrowed eyes. What were they up to? He supposed he could ask Kisame but he was reluctant to do so, considering their last conversation about the kunoichi just before he had left the island. As it was, Kisame already suspected that there was something between him and Sakura.

"Itachi-san."

Without looking at his partner, Itachi intoned, "We must leave now."

* * *

Sakura panted as she glared up at the smirking Akatsuki. They had been sparring for the last couple of hours and right now, they were at a stalemate. Hell, if she was honest with herself, she had almost lost to Deidara just a few minutes ago. Fortunately, her wind jutsu had helped in deflecting Deidara's annoying clay bombs.

This was much harder than her battles with Kisame and she could not help but wonder why. She knew that Kisame had not been holding back during their battles, much as he claimed otherwise. Was it because she was unfamiliar with Deidara's techniques, or that her techniques were at a natural disadvantage compared to his?

It must be both.

Deidara specialized in long-ranged attacks, which meant that he could easily hit her from his position up in the air. And since she was mainly a close-range fighter, not being able to get near him meant that she could not even land a hit. The only thing she could count on was her ninjutsu. But the techniques that were powerful enough to reach Deidara required a lot of chakra and she would be drained dry in no time, considering how skillful he was at avoiding things.

It was just as well that Pein had asked Kisame to run an errant for him and Itachi had gone along, otherwise her two partners would no doubt be very amused at the sight of this battle. Especially Kisame. And the last thing she wanted was for Kisame to find another way to tease her.

Irritated at the lack of options, she yelled at Deidara, "Get down here and fight, Deidara!"

Seated on his large clay bird, Deidara grinned down at her. "Hey, you use your techniques and I use mine, yeah. Or else, what's the fun in this, hm?"

Sakura wanted to scream in frustration. Instead, she lifted her hands in preparation for her newest jutsu. Deidara had not seen this one yet, so he would not be prepared for it. Sure she would use up a lot of chakra for this technique but it was worth every drop of chakra if she managed to bring the smirking Akatsuki down to the ground.

Then she would pummel him into a pulp with her bare fists.

Frowning as he took in her seals, Deidara shouted from above, "You're trying another wind jutsu? It's not going to work. Give up already, yeah!"

"You wish!" Completing the seals, she called out, "Fuuton: Kaze-no-Gosunkugi!"

She saw Deidara's eyes widening in surprise as the wind around them picked up, taking with it a large amount of sand from the ground. Gathering momentum as her chakra fuelled it, the wind rushed forward with the sand, heading straight for Deidara and his clay bird.

Her face stretched into a wide grin as Deidara crashed down to the ground, cursing all the way as he fell. Many years ago, she would have blushed at the words coming out of his mouth, but she had heard worse in the last two years as a missing-nin. His clay bird lay shattered around him as profanities continued to spew out of his mouth.

Keeping a safe distance from the furious blonde, Sakura mocked, "What did you say about my wind jutsu not working?"

Picking himself off the ground, a dust-covered Deidara glared at her. "We're not done yet! I'll show you, yeah!"

With that, he streaked towards her, his right hand reaching into his clay pouch.

Recognizing his intent, Sakura called up an earth wall just in time to catch his small clay explosives. The moment the bombs hit the wall, it shattered into tiny pieces, obscuring her vision with the earth particles.

Alarms rang in her head, alerting her that it would be dangerous to continue fighting without being able to see where Deidara was. She was preparing to jump away when she saw the outline of a shinobi sandal heading towards her head.

Eyes widening, she dropped to the ground, allowing Deidara's kick to skim harmlessly over her.

Then she realized that there was an easier way to clear the air.

Quickly performing the seals as she jumped to her feet, Sakura called out, "Fuuton: Reppushou!"

The heavy gust of wind exploded outwards and immediately blew away the earth and dust, revealing Deidara's position. Without a moment's hesitation, she darted towards her target. Her chakra-laden fist connected with Deidara body, drawing a hiss of pain from him. Twisting away, he flicked a kunai out to intercept her other fist before somersaulting backwards until he landed some distance away.

Glaring at her as he clutched his injured left shoulder, Deidara growled, "You did this on purpose, didn't you? Forcing me down to the ground."

Smirking, she shrugged. "I thought you needed to practice some of your basic shinobi skills. Fighting on the ground and all, you know. Like normal shinobi."

"My basics are fine, yeah," he snapped as he straightened. "My art just overshadows everything else."

She raised a brow. "Oh? Let's see some art then."

Scowling, Deidara plunged both of his hands into his clay pouch. "You're really asking for it, yeah."

Sakura blinked as a slightly crazed but determined look appeared on Deidara's features. From the movements within the pouch, she could tell that the mouths in his hands were molding something, but what? A frisson of alarm ran through her at the thought that she might have pushed the blonde a little too far. When it came to his art, Deidara could be really unpredictable.

Eyes flashing as a maniacal grin appeared on his lips, Deidara withdrew his clenched fists.

"Let's see how you get away from this!" he exclaimed as he uncurled his fingers.

Her jaw dropped as what appeared to be hundreds of tiny clay birds took to the air, spreading out in a wide circle over her. Deidara could not be serious. How the hell was she supposed to avoid all that?

Before she could form another thought, a number of those clay birds descended towards her. Quickly performing a substitution jutsu, Sakura let a nearby log take the hit. When she reappeared some distance away, her eyes widened at the sight of more clay birds homing in on her. A curse escaped her lips when she realized that Deidara had designed those bombs as homing devices, meaning that they would follow her wherever she went.

Another bomb landed close to her and Sakura had to swallow a shriek as she darted away. The force of the explosion behind her blew a felled tree trunk at her. It hit the back of her shoulders, knocking her off her feet. She instinctively rolled to one side just as another one exploded in the space where she had been just a fraction of a second ago.

Pushing herself up, Sakura darted away. Quickly performing the seals for another earth jutsu, she managed to erect a wall to intercept the bombs. Once again, her earth wall exploded into dust, but at least she was unharmed.

When the dust cleared, she was horrified to find more clay bombs heading towards her. Her heart thudded rapidly as her trepidation grew. It occurred to her then that this was much, much worse than fighting with Kisame. If she did not know better, she would have said that Deidara was really trying to kill her.

Was he?

Not having time to even think, she rushed towards the nearest tree in an attempt to put something between her and Deidara's bombs. Explosions rocked the ground behind her as she ran and slipped past two trees.

A loud crack sounded and she heard the trees exploding behind her.

"Shit!" she heard Deidara curse.

Then a cry escaped her lips at the sensation of many sharp objects piercing into the flesh on her back, throwing her to the ground. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Her vision almost blacked out at the stinging pain that ran from her shoulders down to her hips. Face down on the ground, Sakura found that any attempt to get up was futile. She was in too much pain.

In the next instant, Deidara was beside her. She felt herself being lifted up and then laid sideways on his lap. Cracking her eyes open, she saw his worried face hovering over her. His hands were all over her, checking her for injuries. It occurred to her that she should yell at him for touching her like this, but she could not summon the energy to do so.

"Oi, Sakura! Don't die, yeah. Itachi and Kisame will kill me," he urged loudly.

"I'm not dying," she groaned. "But I feel as if I've been hit by a hundred porcupines."

A short bark of incredulous laughter escaped him. "Your back looks terrible. The shattered bits of tree trunk hit you, yeah."

"I feel terrible," she admitted. "But I think you proved your point. You won, after all."

Deidara blinked at her, and then a sheepish smile crossed his face. "Let's get you inside before you faint, yeah."

She smiled wryly. "Yeah."

* * *

When he entered the Akatsuki compound, Itachi paused briefly at the sight of the mutilated ground to the left of the building. It appeared as if Deidara had been practicing, judging by the fragments of white clay scattered all around. His lips twisted slightly when he realized that the kunoichi often left similar destruction behind when she trained.

Turning back to the gravel path which led to the building, Itachi continued to make his way forward. He did not know if Kisame had returned from his errant yet. Although he had left under the excuse that he was running an errant with Kisame, they had gone their separate directions the moment they left the Akatsuki stronghold. As always, Kisame had not asked about his destination and not for the first time, Itachi was glad that he had brought Kisame into the organization.

His brief journey outward had given him the opportunity to carry out some research to put the next step of his plan in motion. If it went well, he would soon reap the rewards of his patience.

Entering the building, Itachi made his way upstairs towards his room.

A half-groan, half-moan reached him as he passed the bathroom, causing his steps to falter.

"Deidara…"

Itachi froze, his eyes widening in surprise as he identified in the voice and chakra signatures from within. What was Sakura doing in the bathroom with Deidara and why was she calling out Deidara's name in such a familiar manner?

"Wait."

"Deidara, that hurts," she moaned.

Deidara grunted loudly. "Who's the wimp here, hm? It'll hurt only for a while."

"But you don't have to go in so deep!" she protested.

"What do you want me to do about it, hmm? Some are bigger than others. You'll feel a whole lot better afterwards, yeah."

Then it went silent, apart from the occasional hiss and sighs.

Itachi gritted his teeth. He did not know why he felt so irritated as it could not possibly be what he was thinking, although it sounded suspiciously like it. Nothing in their past interaction suggested that there was anything going on between Deidara and Sakura, at least nothing of that nature. The sounds that reached him said otherwise, though.

A loud feminine moan reached him followed by another grunt from Deidara and Itachi's hands clenched involuntarily. What were they doing in there?

A shriek suddenly pierced the air. "Deidara!"

"What now?!" Deidara sounded exasperated.

"What are you doing?! It's… wet."

"Oh… That's my tongue, yeah."

A pause followed.

Then Sakura choked out incredulously, "Deidara… Are you… _licking _me?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed in displeasure.

* * *

A/N: That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review if you could. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for your wonderful reviews. I'm glad that the previous chapter made you laugh. And now, without further ado, let's see just how Itachi deals with the situation…

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 20**

"Deidara… Are you… _licking _me?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed in displeasure. Sakura was allowing Deidara to lick her? He should not be listening to this but he could not bring himself to move away. It was as if some morbid curiosity was keeping him there.

Deidara sputtered. "What the-! NO! I mean, I can't do it without my tongue touching you, yeah. It doesn't work that way."

Itachi fought the urge to growl. _WHAT_ did not work in _WHAT_ way?

"Don't do that! It's disgusting!" the kunoichi yelled. "Can't you just use your fingers or something?"

"Will you stop complaining and just let me finish what I'm doing, hm?" Deidara shot back irritably. "I can't concentrate with you yapping non-stop."

"Deidara…"

A crack sounded then, followed quickly dull thud. Itachi heard a loud, masculine hiss before the kunoichi released a breathy cry. There was still doubt in his mind that Sakura and Deidara were engaged in physical contact of a sexual nature, but it was not something he could confirm until he saw what was happening with his own eyes. However, the notion of prying into the kunoichi's business made him hesitate.

"Um… Sakura. I didn't mean to… uh…" Deidara faltered uncertainly.

"Deidara… If you don't get off me now…"

"It's all your fault in the first place, yeah! How could you expect me to stay in control if you keep on wriggling like that?"

"I can't believe I agreed to this," Sakura moaned in a heartfelt tone.

Itachi tensed. As inconceivable as it was for Sakura to agree to such a thing, she had apparently done so, if all the noises were any indication. He finally decided that he had heard enough and whether those two were decent or not, he was going in. Besides, he had every right to use the bathroom.

With that thought, Itachi went forward and pushed the door open abruptly. To his surprise, the door swung open readily, implying that Sakura and Deidara were not even concerned that someone else might enter during their… interactions.

Then Itachi's hand fell to his side at the view that greeted him. Only by sheer will did he manage to keep his expression impassive. Although the conversation earlier had given him an idea of what to expect, he had to force down his annoyance when he saw them.

Both Deidara and Sakura were staring at him wide-eyed from their compromising position on the bathroom floor. The topless kunoichi was on her back with an equally topless Deidara braced over her, his hands on either side of her shoulders. Her small fingers were splayed against Deidara's chest but those appendages soon dropped to the towel knotted between her breasts.

In a blink of an eye, Deidara lifted himself off Sakura, allowing her to jump to her feet. Clutching the white towel that covered her hips and her front, Sakura blinked at him. Her face quickly reddened and then a second later, her expression became pinched.

"W-What are you doing in here?!" she demanded, her tone displaying her incredulity.

Itachi did not bother responding. Still somewhat puzzled by the situation, Itachi began to study his surroundings. Deidara's body was covered with faint streaks of blood around some lines of recently healed pink skin. What was visible of Sakura's back was bloody with small dark objects sticking out at irregular angles from her. Towels with red stains littered the bathroom floor and there was a kunai laying on the rim of the bathtub, its tip coated with a light sheen of blood. Next to it was a pile of what appeared to be wood splinters.

Comprehension suddenly dawned upon Itachi and his tension seeped away.

So, Deidara had been removing the splinters from Sakura's back with the kunai… and with the teeth in his palms. Another surge of annoyance coursed through him at the notion that Deidara's mouths had been pressed against Sakura's naked back. And once again, he could not comprehend why he was reacting in such a manner to the situation.

"Itachi-_SAN_!" Sakura snapped. "Do you mind giving us some privacy?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the implication of her words. She was comfortable enough in Deidara's presence but she wished for him to leave? If that was how she behaved after they had kissed, what had she done with Deidara in the past for them to reach the sort of familiarity they had with each other today?

Itachi slid his gaze towards a puzzled-looking Deidara. Their eyes met and Itachi frowned when Deidara's blue orbs suddenly adopted a knowing gleam. What was the blonde thinking?

"Hey Uchiha, we're sort of busy here, yeah," Deidara remarked with a smirk. "Why don't you come back later, when we're… finished?"

"Deidara!" Sakura hissed in annoyance. "Shut up!"

"What? He's interrupting!" Deidara defended.

A muscle under Itachi's eyes ticked as he tensed again. It did not escape his notice that Deidara was taunting him. Did the blonde Akatsuki think that he was bothered by their presence together in the bathroom? That he truly cared that Deidara had his tongue on her skin?

Did he care?

No, he was … mildly annoyed, nothing more. But this annoyance… It was the same feeling he had when Morino Idate had kissed the kunoichi. There was only one obvious explanation for this. One which he did not wish to admit but it was so obvious now that he thought it through.

It was no longer a case of him ignoring the idea of their physical attraction towards each other. He knew now that he was more attracted to the kunoichi than he had thought possible.

And he did not wish for anyone else to interfere.

* * *

Sakura groaned inwardly as she held her towel more securely to her front. Instead of responding verbally to Deidara's taunts, Itachi simply ran his crimson eyes over both of them, making her feel acutely exposed. It was strange that she was perfectly comfortable for Deidara to see her like this and felt so self-conscious when it came to the Uchiha.

Deidara sure chose a good time to run his mouth off. The things that he had said were innocent enough, if no one paid much attention to his tone and the possible underlying meaning in his words. He made it sound as if they were really up to no good in there, when all Deidara had been doing was removing the wood splinters from her back. From the looks of it, she was almost certain that Deidara was just trying to rile Itachi.

But wait a minute! Why would Itachi care anyway?

The image of their shared kiss in the cave flashed across her mind and she felt her cheeks fill with a sudden heat. She had not been able to tell if the kiss had affected Itachi at all, if he even remembered it, but it had definitely affected her. Could it be that he was fully aware of what had happened between them and was just as affected?

She glanced up to find the Uchiha wearing a dark look, one which she could not quite decipher. The rest of his face was blank but from the slight tightness at the corner of his lips, it was clear that he was annoyed by Deidara's words. Her practiced eyes trailed lower to his shoulders, immediately noticing the tightly coiled tension, making him look as if he was ready to pounce.

He looked… dangerous.

Involuntarily, she gulped. Then she cast her gaze towards the smirking Deidara, his expression causing her to grimace. The blonde seemed to be enjoying this encounter, displaying a great lack of self-preservation. As usual.

"Why are you still here, hm?" Deidara asked the silent Uchiha. "Want to watch?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed and a suffocating tension filled the air. Sakura's alarm heightened further. Was Deidara trying to get himself killed? Itachi was obviously growing angry. In fact, now that she thought about it, she did not remember seeing that degree of iciness in his expression. Clearly, the situation needed to be defused before things got out of hand.

She spun to the blonde and grabbed his bare arm. "Deidara! Stop it!" she snapped.

Deidara turned a pair of blatantly un-innocent blue eyes at her. "I'm just watching out for your privacy, yeah."

She glowered at him before she forcefully propelled him towards the door. "Thanks, Deidara. But I think I got it from here." Her tone was dry.

A genuine frown marred Deidara's brows then. "Wait, yeah. Seriously… your back-"

"It's okay. We'll deal with it later," she interjected quickly.

As Deidara stumbled out of the door, Sakura spun towards Itachi. He was staring at her with that infuriatingly contemplative expression now. Something was obviously running across that complicated mind of his. Still, she needed him to get out of the bathroom. Being in an enclosed space with Itachi made her think of things she should not be thinking of.

With that in mind, she gave him a pointed look before inclining her head towards the door. "If you please, Itachi."

To her consternation, he did not respond.

She took a deep, calming breath. "I would like to be left alone," she enunciated levelly.

"Close the door."

Her eyes bugged. "E-Excuse me?" she stuttered in disbelief.

"Your back requires attention."

Jaw dropping, she could only stare at the expressionless Uchiha. What exactly was he trying to say?

After a while, it appeared that he had grown tired of waiting for her response, for he simply strode past her and pushed the door shut with a very final sounding click. Her astonished gaze followed Itachi as he walked back to her casually. He could not possibly be thinking of picking up where Deidara had left off, could he? But, Deidara was Deidara.

And Itachi was… Itachi.

Gesturing at the bathtub, he instructed levelly, "Sit."

Still stunned, she could only blink at him.

"Sakura…"

Her cheeks flushed suddenly at his husky tone. It immediately brought back the kiss they had shared. From the looks of it, it appeared that he was recalling the same thing as well, for his crimson eyes suddenly took on a heated gleam. So he remembered after all.

Deciding suddenly that she needed to turn away, Sakura quickly spun around and sat on the rim of the bathtub. It was best to get this over with fast so that she could get away from the source of her discomfort.

Almost immediately, she felt warm fingers pressing on her back. A shiver ran down her spine and it had nothing to do with the soreness of her wounds. She was just hyperaware of Itachi.

She had expected him to use a kunai to remove the splinters and then bandage her. Instead, she felt an oddly familiar flow of chakra hitting her skin. The prickly sensation of the splinters being ejected from her skin registered then. Gasping in surprise, she glanced over her shoulders to see the reflected green glow in Itachi's eyes. There was no mistaking the type chakra he was using.

"You can heal?" she asked incredulously.

Their eyes met briefly and he explained, "It is useful to know the basics."

"But…" Was there something he couldn't do? "You're not a medic," she finished lamely.

"The Sharingan has many uses," he pointed out.

Oh. So he copied this from a medic-nin. Then something occurred to her. "Then why you didn't heal your own eyes?" she asked.

"Those are high level medical jutsu as you know," he remarked as the flow of chakra gradually receded. "Only basic medical jutsu could be copied."

"Who did you copy this one from?"

"Why do you wish to know?" he asked as his finger trailed down her skin.

Sakura forced herself to concentrate on the conversation. His touches were wreaking havoc with her senses. What was he doing back there? She had not felt this… out of sorts… when Deidara was tending to those splinters.

"What happened?" he asked suddenly.

She blinked. "Huh?"

"Your back."

"Oh." Gathering her scattered thoughts, she managed to form a reply. "Deidara and I were sparring earlier. I guess we got a little carried away. He got mad when I tossed him off his clay bird with my wind jutsu, so he sort of got back at me by blasting me into a tree," she finished sheepishly.

"Aa." He sounded amused. "So you lost."

She instantly stiffened. Then, tossing a glare at him over her shoulders, she snapped, "I'll win next time."

"Perhaps."

Did he think she could not do it? "Now that I know what he's capable of, I'll think up something to counter his techniques."

His fingers stilled on her skin. To Sakura's confusion, the temperature seemed to drop again.

"You wish to fight him again?" he asked silkily.

"Of course!"

"You shouldn't."

Annoyed by his overbearing words, Sakura spun around fully to face the Uchiha. He shifted, placing his hand on her bare shoulder to still her movement. Too late, she realized that her new position meant that her knees now locked between Itachi's legs.

She struggled mentally for a moment before she remembered what they were discussing. "You can't dictate who I fight, Itachi."

"Injuring yourself will reduce your effectiveness during our missions," he intoned levelly but the flash in his eyes gave away his disapproval.

"I can heal myself," she bit out with growing annoyance. Why was Itachi being such a pain about this?

"As you have done today?" he retorted with an edge in his voice.

She lifted her chin stubbornly. "What's wrong with Deidara helping?"

His jaw tightened visibly, causing her to blink at him in growing comprehension as the implication of his actions became clear, confirming her earlier suspicions. Itachi was truly annoyed about Deidara helping her. And because of that, the Uchiha did not want her to fight the blonde Akatsuki again. The whole idea was baffling.

Itachi was growing _possessive_ of her?

Before she could form another thought, strong fingers gripped her chin, forcing her attention to remain on him even though it was unlikely that her eyes would stray. The way he was looking at her now, his crimson eyes turning darker with a heat that sent shivers down her spine, made it impossible for her to think of anything else but him.

Goosebumps broke out on her skin as he leaned down, allowing his hair to brush against her cheek. Sakura's mind went blank for a moment, until his quiet voice ghosted over her earlobe.

"Do not fight with him again, Sakura."

Sakura could not speak even if she tried. With Itachi so close, her entire body was now trembling with suppressed tension. The only thing that anchored her now was her tight grips on the rim of the bathtub. She was afraid that if she let go, her hands would immediately seek Itachi and that was not something she should do at all.

As he pulled back slowly, allowing his cheek to slide against hers, she felt her throat go dry.

"I-Itachi…" she whispered tremulously as she squeezed her eyes shut.

He stilled. Now, she could feel his warm breath at the corner of her lips even though she refused to open her eyes to see him. Because she knew that her defenses would come tumbling down if she exposed all her senses to him.

Time seemed to suspend as they remained motionless in the precarious position.

Then he shifted.

Sakura's eyes shot open and her lips parted in a gasp as he pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth. Her hands left the bathtub to clench the front of his mesh shirt. She wanted to tell him to stop, to push him away, but when Itachi moved to capture her bottom lip, her mind went blank.

She registered a flash of aroused crimson orbs before her own eyes fluttered shut. By now, his fingers were threading through her hair to the back of her head, pushing her close as he kissed her fully. Pleasurable shivers shot through her body as their tongues met, causing her to moan breathily into his mouth. Her entire body was heating up as the tension between them grew more intense.

It was too much for her to take. She had never felt such heightened arousal just from one kiss. But whatever it was that she felt, this was Itachi. They should not be doing this.

"Itachi… What are we doing?" she managed to choke out.

His fingers tightened at her words as he shifted back slightly. Almost afraid of what she might see, Sakura opened her eyes. Itachi was staring at her heatedly, his breathing as ragged as hers as his hands clenched around her hair painfully.

Then as abruptly as it had begun, he released her and spun around wordlessly.

In a fraction of a second, he was out of the bathroom, leaving her to stare blankly at the door. There was this sense of loss that she knew was the result of the disappearance of Itachi's warmth, but she brushed it to the back of her mind.

Thoughts completely muddled, Sakura stood up numbly and exited the bathroom to make her way back to her bedroom. The aftershocks of their kiss were still coursing through her when she stepped into the room moments later.

Slamming the door shut, she sank down onto her bed and pulled her knees up. Then she clapped her hands to her heated cheeks. Now that she was alone, she needed to dissect the situation.

What had just happened just now?

Alright, she could dismiss their first kiss as an accident brought on by Itachi's delirium. But what could she say about this one? This time, Itachi was fully lucid and had obviously meant to kiss her, not that she had protested. Instead, she had responded wholeheartedly to it. Again.

And THAT was the problem.

This was something that was way too close to betrayal for her comfort. Being comrades was one thing. Being more than friends with one's enemy was a completely different matter altogether. There were feelings involved, and it would no doubt end painfully. Even more painfully than she had anticipated, seeing how close she was to Kisame and Deidara as well.

Once again, she reminded herself that her mission was to infiltrate the organization and bring Akatsuki down, its members together with it. That clearly meant that one day, she would be standing against all of them. And even if she did not raise a single finger against them, she would have to stand back and cheer Konoha on during the battle. She would have to watch her so-called Akatsuki comrades fall.

And Itachi would be one of them.

She pressed her fists against her mouth to muffle her helpless groan.

There was no point denying that she was truly attracted to Itachi. She had known since that time in the cave that this was not a simple infatuation. She did not know how and when it had happened but it had snuck up on her so gradually that she had not managed to put a stop to it in time. And now, it was too late. Now, she was paying for her carelessness.

Her eyes suddenly burned with unshed tears of frustration. Why must this happen to her? Her heart twisted painfully. Was she doomed to fall for the wrong type of guy for the rest of her life? First it had been Sasuke and now it was Itachi. Both Uchiha. Both unattainable.

Both WRONG for her.

She dragged in a shaky breath. Calm down, Sakura. Maybe it was not too late this time. She was an adult and she would deal with it before it went any further. She would stop it no matter what.

There was no other way.

All she had to do was to minimize contact between them. In fact, it was best that she stopped working with him altogether. She just didn't know how Pein would react to something like that. No doubt he would want to know the reason behind it and she could not possibly tell him the truth. She would have to think something up. Something that was not a lie.

A knock sounded on the door, jolting her out of her troubled contemplation. She eyed the door warily, wondering if it was Itachi. He was the last person she needed to see now. Then she sagged in relief when she registered the unmasked chakra signature.

"Oi, Sakura."

"Come in, Deidara."

The door swung open and the blonde Akatsuki stepped in. Closing the door behind him, he ran his eyes over her, pausing on her healed back. Then his brows rose.

"I know what I'm seeing, but I don't know if I should believe it, yeah," he remarked as he stepped up to her to peer down her back.

Sakura scowled at him over her shoulder. "What do you mean?"

He pointed at her back. "That. It looks like someone healed it, but I know as flexible as you are, that's not something you can do yourself, yeah. So the Uchiha must have done it."

Sakura averted her eyes. "So what?"

Deidara grinned knowingly before he said, "Means I'm off the hook."

"That's why you came back? To continue with my back?"

Deidara shrugged but said nothing else.

Touched by his concern, Sakura's expression softened. "Thanks, Deidara."

He snorted, waving his hand about dismissively. "Tobi just contacted me. He's bringing back food. You're coming down?"

Sakura flicked a glance down at her towel-clad form. "Might help if I dress first," she pointed out wryly.

Deidara smirked. "Yeah, don't want the rest to get nosebleeds now, do we?"

She rolled her eyes. "As if. _YOU_ didn't get a nosebleed."

"Ah, that's because I've seen much better bod-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," she ground out. "Because that would mean that you've been looking when you said you wouldn't."

Deidara laughed. "Which man wouldn't look?"

Lips twitching at the look on his face, she shook her fist at him playfully. "Get out before I punch you for that."

He held his hands up in surrender. "Come down when you're ready, yeah."

Recalling what she had thought about the thing between her and Itachi, Sakura called out, "I'll be down in a while. I've got to talk to Pein first."

"Can't it wait until the meeting?"

"No."

"Suit yourself, yeah. I'll see you when I see you."

* * *

Itachi glowered darkly as he stepped towards the dining room.

He had only intended to aid her healing and then leave. It certainly had not been his intention to kiss her again, even after his discomfiting realization that he was attracted to her. His lack of self-control was been appalling and unacceptably so. But the way she had sat there half-naked, looking up at him with those emerald eyes had done something to his resolve.

The urge to kiss her had been strong and he had given in without a single thought for the consequences. But now that he had done so, Itachi knew that he had just added another layer of complication to his life. He was in an unfamiliar territory of being unable to decide on how to deal with the situation and it irked him.

However, whilst it was clear that he desired the kunoichi and would not allow anyone else to approach her in that manner, this was hardly the appropriate time to entertain such thoughts. His priority was his plans and that was all he should focus on.

Especially now that the seal was ready. It had taken a long time but the seal was now capable of sustaining itself without utilizing his chakra, allowing him to function at full-strength. So now was the time for him to put the next step in action. It was time to rectify the error which had occurred so many years ago.

Itachi entered the kitchen to find that Kisame was already there, obviously just arrived from outside considering the light sheen of moisture dotting his Akatsuki cloak. The Mist shinobi nodded a greeting as he shrugged off his cloak and tossed it over a chair.

"The delivery went smoothly," he said casually as he went to the stove and set a pot to boil.

"Hm."

Pulling a chair out, Itachi sat at the kitchen table and watched as Kisame retrieved the necessary ingredients for the tea. The only sound which surrounded them was the soft gurgle of boiling water at the stove.

Inclining his head in the direction of the grounds outside, Kisame remarked, "So, I take it Deidara and Sakura had their fight."

For a moment, Itachi wondered if he was the only one who was not aware of the fight between those two. And then he recalled that Kisame had been there when Sakura and Deidara was discussing meeting up. The mere mention of the incident immediately brought back his displeasure at the fact that Deidara had been licking Sakura's back. Why had she allowed the blonde to do so?

Unsurprisingly, his mind soon supplied him with the memory of their second kiss, much to Itachi's annoyance. Considering how frequent his thoughts strayed to the kunoichi, Itachi could not help but wonder if he could successfully push aside their attraction until a later date. It occurred to him that it might be unachievable.

Bringing the tea to the table with two mismatched cups, Kisame smirked. "So, the kunoichi won?"

Absently, Itachi shook his head as he took the pot and poured the tea for both of them.

Straightening, Kisame's eyes bulged in disbelief. "She lost?" he asked incredulously.

"Aa."

A heavy silence filled the air before Kisame thumped his fist on the table, causing the teapot to rattle against the surface. Itachi quirked a brow at his partner's unrestrained show of temper. Glowering darkly at his teacup, Kisame let out a frustrated hiss.

"That bastard must be unbearably smug now," the Mist shinobi spat.

Itachi assumed that Kisame was talking about Deidara. "Perhaps."

Kisame snorted. "Nevermind. He's in trouble anyway."

Wondering what the other shinobi was talking about, Itachi prompted quietly, "What trouble?"

Straightening slightly, Kisame went silent as he scanned the room. Then, speaking in low tones, he said, "Pein suspects Deidara of something."

"Is that so?"

Kisame shrugged. "Why else would Pein send Deidara to the island and then ask me to keep an eye on him?"

Itachi frowned thoughtfully. So Pein was not only suspicious of Sakura, but Deidara as well? Perhaps this was due to the fact that they did not find any incriminating evidence against the kunoichi. Besides, it was no secret that Deidara had been unwilling to join the Akatsuki in the first place.

Before he could probe further, an approaching presence stilled his tongue. Composing his expression into its usual mask on indifference, Itachi leaned back against the chair. After a while, the house reverberated with the sound of the front door slamming.

Soon, Tobi stepped into the kitchen, holding bags of food.

"I bought some food back! Let's eat," the masked shinobi exclaimed loudly.

Itachi shifted his attention away from Tobi as Deidara appeared in the kitchen then. Kisame immediately grunted in annoyance at the sight of the blonde. No doubt the Mist shinobi was still sore over the fact that Deidara had won the fight against Sakura.

Eyes pinned to the bags, Deidara grinned. "Didn't take you long to get back, hm?"

Of course it would not, Itachi thought. Being Madara meant that the masked man was the most powerful Uchiha alive after all. But not for long, if his plans went ahead successfully.

Depositing the bags on the table, Tobi sat down and glanced around curiously. "Deidara-senpai. Is Sakura-san not joining us?"

"She said something about seeing Pein, yeah," Deidara answered absently as he peered into one of the food cartons. "Probably something about the missions."

Tobi looked surprised at Deidara's announcement, which suggested to Itachi that Pein had not consulted the masked shinobi on this matter even though Tobi had been the one to deliver the list. It was no longer surprising seeing that there was a certain rift between Tobi and Pein these days. Power struggle was the only explanation for such a thing.

"Let's eat, yeah."

For a long while, the only sound that could be heard was the scraping of chopsticks against the cardboard cartons. Surreptitiously, Itachi continued to observe Tobi but he saw nothing untoward, which did not surprise him in the least.

They were almost finished with dinner when the kunoichi appeared in the kitchen. Without sparing him a glance, she sat down at the opposite end of the table.

"Took you long enough, kunoichi," Kisame said by way of greeting. "I heard that you lost," he added in an almost accusatory tone.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "It is just the first round, Shark-Face." Spinning towards Deidara, she added, "Isn't it, Deidara?"

Itachi tensed at the notion of the two of them fighting again.

The blonde waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever you say. Anyway, it's about time you came down. I was beginning to think that you're not going to show up, yeah."

"And miss all this? Deidara told me you were bringing food back but I didn't expect so much, Tobi," she remarked as she reached out for a carton. "It looks good."

Tobi's head bobbed. "Tastes quite good too. Tobi got it from the shop next to the library."

Itachi watched as the kunoichi blinked in surprise. "You went that close to the hidden village?" she asked in a disbelieving tone.

"He's lucky those Lightning-nins didn't catch him, yeah," Deidara remarked.

Tobi sputtered indignantly. "I'm too fast for them to catch me."

Deidara snorted. "You're just one lucky bastard."

The kunoichi waved her hands between them in a placating gesture before turning to Tobi. "Tobi, Pein wants to see you now."

Tobi straightened. "Does he? Well, I'd better go then."

There was an edge in his voice but Itachi doubted that the rest heard it. He would have to keep a closer eye on Tobi now that it was confirmed that the masked man was indeed Madara, even though Itachi knew that he probably would not learn much at this point.

His eyes trailed after Tobi's retreating back until the other shinobi exited the kitchen. Only then did Itachi return his attention to the table to find Sakura and Kisame staring at each other.

Then Kisame raised a brow. "Why the hell did you lose, kunoichi?" he asked flatly.

Itachi blinked at the hint of annoyance in Kisame's tone as Sakura responded with a glare. It seemed as if the Mist shinobi was truly affected by the fact that Sakura had lost to Deidara. The situation was not helped by Deidara's abrupt burst of laughter.

Smirking at Kisame, the blonde remarked, "Kisame, I don't see what was your problem fighting Sakura, yeah. She's hardly invincible."

"Hey, watch what you're saying, Deidara!" the kunoichi snapped.

Kisame's chopsticks stilled over his carton as his face took on a purple tinge. "You got lucky," he growled at Deidara.

Eyes gleaming almost maniacally, Deidara retorted, "Since you lost to her and she lost to me, what does that mean, hm?"

Itachi slanted a level look at the blonde. "Do not be so smug," he intoned quietly.

"Exactly!" Kisame agreed. "So what if you beat her? She probably got careless with you the way she got lucky when she fought me."

Bristling indignantly, the kunoichi spun towards Kisame. "I beat you fair and square and you know it, Shark-Face. If it bothers you so much that I lost to Deidara, then go fight him yourself!"

"Maybe I will," Kisame gritted out.

Deidara rubbed his hands together as he grinned. "Can't wait, yeah."

As the bickering between Sakura and Kisame continued with Deidara interjecting on occasion, Itachi slanted a glance at the kunoichi. She had not met his eyes even once or engaged him in conversation as she usually did throughout the entire meal. In fact, she had spoken to everyone except him, which could only mean one thing.

She was avoiding him.

Itachi's eyes narrowed in displeasure. He was certain that this was not merely a product of his imagination. Was this due to the incident in the bathroom? Was she so discomfited that she had found it necessary to distance herself from him?

His Akatsuki ring suddenly flashed. Scanning around the table, Itachi noticed that the others' rings were doing the same thing. The bickering instantly stopped and all of them adopted serious expressions.

"We have a meeting to go to, it seems," Sakura remarked as she stood up. "Pein is projecting into the living room together with Konan."

It did not take long for them to make their way to the living room. Pein's and Konan's projections were already there when they stepped into the large room.

Eyeing all of them, Konan said, "We're all here. Good."

"This is the briefing for the side missions, right?" the kunoichi asked.

Pein nodded. "I've looked through the list and there's enough in there to fund our operation for a while."

"How long this time?" Kisame asked.

"Until it is time to retrieve the kyuubi."

Pein's tone left no doubt that he would not welcome any more questions in that direction. Recalling his conversation with Pein almost a month ago when the kunoichi was under suspicion, Itachi wondered if Pein was growing overly paranoid about the presence of spies in their midst. For that could only be the reason why the Akatsuki leader chose to withhold such information.

"I have selected sixteen missions, so each of you will have to complete eight."

"What are the missions?" Deidara asked curiously.

"Deidara and Tobi, the two of you will take these; One assassination, four retrievals, two kidnaps and one delivery. Itachi, Kisame, Sakura, the three of you will handle four ambushes and attacks, destruction of a shinobi clan, two deliveries and one retrieval."

Tobi turned to Deidara. "I want to do the assassinations."

Deidara scowled. "You can take everything if you like."

"There's nothing that all of you haven't done before, so it shouldn't take long to complete," Pein said.

Kisame snorted. "If they're anything like the last ones, it means that we'll be rushing around Lightning Country without a break for weeks."

"Lightweight…" the kunoichi muttered, earning herself a glare from the Mist shinobi as Deidara smirked.

"Are we going to continue using this place as a base?" Tobi asked.

Pein nodded. "It's well-hidden enough to be secure."

"I suppose we just need to cover our tracks when we head back here."

"Diversions would be helpful," Konan supplied.

"Konan and I will not be taking part in the missions. We have matters to settle here in Bird Country."

"But you know where to find us if you need to do so," Konan added.

Pein turned to him then. "Itachi. Have you seen your little brother lately?"

The sudden shift of topic was unexpected but Itachi's expression did not change. It was clear that Tobi and Pein knew something about Sasuke. Tobi's, or rather Madara's, spies in Konoha would have informed him the moment Sasuke was found in Konoha.

Itachi knew that he had to consider his response carefully. Telling the truth would certainly bring forth certain complications. The kunoichi's act of sending Sasuke back to Konoha would raise Pein suspicions further, and that was the last thing Itachi needed. Also, the fact that he had allowed the kunoichi to send Sasuke back to Konoha would not look good on himself.

Therefore, there was only one thing he could say.

"No."

Beside him, the kunoichi stiffened slightly. However, Itachi was confident that she would not be so foolish as to refute his claim. After all, she had to know that the leader would frown upon her act with regards to Sasuke.

Pein nodded thoughtfully. "Then you probably don't know that he had been captured."

Itachi quirked a brow. "How foolish."

"Indeed," Pein murmured.

Deidara interjected then. "Enough about that Uchiha kid already, yeah. So what are we going to do about the missions? When do we start?"

"There is something I need to check before you begin the missions, so just lay low for a couple more days," Pein said. "I will contact you when it is time."

Comprehending that the meeting had effectively ended, Itachi nodded and made his way to the door. Kisame followed close behind him as he opened it and left the room.

"Looks like we have more free time to kill," the Mist shinobi remarked thoughtfully.

"Aa."

Then Itachi's steps faltered slightly when he heard Pein's voice through the door.

"Sakura. Stay back."

* * *

Sakura waited as Deidara closed the door behind him and Tobi, but she did not fail to notice the questioning look in the blonde's eyes. No doubt he was curious but if everything went right, he would soon find out about the reason for this meeting of hers with Pein.

When it was clear that everyone else was out of earshot, Pein's projection began to speak.

"I've considered your request."

"And?" she prompted cautiously.

"You will have to remain with Itachi and Kisame."

Her heart sank at his proclamation but she kept her expression impassive. "Don't you think that it's more beneficial to pair me up with Deidara? Like I said earlier, our techniques are so different that we make a good combination."

"So do you and the other two." After a short pause, Pein continued, "What is the real reason for this?"

"I believe I told you," Sakura pointed out levelly.

"I do not like to be lied to, Sakura."

There was no mistaking the hint of threat in his tone. Sakura felt her blood run cold for a moment but she steeled herself. She would not show him any weakness. Not to mention Pein should know better than to expect a missing-nin to tell the whole truth.

However, she still had to try to get herself transferred to the other team.

"Pein-san. I need this transfer." Her tone was measured.

He gave her a cold look. "When you are prepared to tell me the truth, I will consider your request again."

The urge to shout at the Akatsuki leader was almost overwhelming but Sakura managed to tamp it down. Yelling at Pein would probably land her a few injuries. And not knowing just how strong Pein was gave her reason to be cautious.

Nodding at Pein, she said, "Very well then."

With that, Pein's projection disappeared out of sight. Only then did Sakura allow her hands to clench into tight fists. The fact that Pein had refused her request for a transfer meant that she would be stuck close to Itachi again. How the hell was she supposed to deal with the whole thing now?

This was the last sort of thing she had expected when she signed up for this mission.

Then she felt it.

Itachi's approach was so stealthy that if she was not so aware of him in the first place, she would not have noticed his presence. She took a deep breath to compose herself before she turned around to face the Uchiha. He was standing by the door, staring at her.

"Can I help, Itachi-san?"

His eyes flickered momentarily. "The honorific was discarded, was it not?" he pointed out levelly as he took a step towards her.

Sakura forced herself not stand firm, even when he brought himself so close to her that she could see each dark fleck within his crimson eyes. Her entire body immediately tensed in preparation for… something.

It took her a while to compose a response to his question. When she did, her voice was flat. "My mistake then… Itachi."

The air grew increasingly heavy. Itachi was assessing her silently and with each passing moment, the tension in her body grew. Deciding that she had had enough of it, Sakura spun around and began to walk away. Distance was what she needed between her and Itachi and she had every intention of achieving exactly that.

"Running, Sakura?"

Her steps faltered but she did not turn around. She supposed it was not surprising that he had noticed. This was Itachi, after all. Was he angry or amused? His tone was so bland that there was no way she could tell.

Sakura swallowed hard before she responded in an even voice, "I'm not running. And if you don't mind, I'm heading back to my room now."

"Hm."

Sakura took measured steps out of the living room.

Even though all she felt like doing was to run for her life.

* * *

Naruto paced back and forth in front of the meeting room in the Hokage tower, running his hands over his hair impatiently. They had been in there for hours already. Wasn't it time for them to make a decision about Sasuke and get out of that blasted room?

"Stop it, Naruto! You're giving me a headache!"

Naruto spun around to face the chuunin posted outside the door. "When are they going to come out?"

The chuunin shrugged. "These meetings could take half a day sometimes."

Huffing, Naruto decided that he was too impatient to wait any longer. He would return later. In the meantime, he could go and see Sasuke. At least, he would TRY to see Sasuke. With that thought, Naruto walked along the hallway to make his way down to the basement holding cells.

Even though Sasuke was back in Konoha, it was hard to get to see him. Much to Naruto's disappointment, Sasuke had been transferred from his hospital room to the holding cell the moment he was fully healed. Kakashi had told him that it was too dangerous to keep Sasuke in the hospital room, especially after Sasuke had used genjutsu on one of the medics and had almost escaped.

Naruto really did not understand why Sasuke was so bent on escaping. Why couldn't the Uchiha just count on their teamwork to defeat Itachi? It was not as if Tsunade would object to sending them out to hunt down Akatsuki members. After all Konoha wanted the Akatsuki gone and Itachi was one of them.

The moment Naruto entered the basement, a heavy sigh escaped the masked ANBU who was on duty.

"Naruto. Do you really need me to tell you again that Sasuke cannot have visitors?" the ANBU chastised.

Naruto bristled. "It's not like I'm going to set him loose. I just want to talk to him."

"He can't talk because he's sedated. No one wants to take the risk of being affected by his Sharingan again. So there's no point in you going in there."

"At least let me see him, Ryouga."

"You just saw him two days ago. And if the Hokage finds out that I let you in, she'd have my head!" the ANBU declared heatedly.

Naruto sighed heavily. It was really not Ryouga's fault that he was not allowed to see Sasuke. In fact, it was no one's fault except Sasuke's. The Uchiha had been difficult the moment he awakened to find himself in Konoha. It did not help that Sasuke was completely uncooperative when he had been questioned. Naruto supposed Tsunade had no choice but to bind and sedate Sasuke to keep him quiet until they sorted out his sentence.

"Thanks for that favor, man. I really appreciate it."

The ANBU nodded.

Turning away, Naruto walked out of the building and into the street. Glancing around, he caught a familiar flash of long black hair sweeping through the air as the owner turned the corner.

Hinata. They had bumped into each other occasionally but they haven't had time to really talk after their meal at Ichiraku ramen a couple of weeks ago. Having spent a surprisingly good time in Hinata's company then, Naruto decided to go after the Hyuuga.

"Hinata! Oi, Hinata!" he hollered as he ran towards the passage she had just turned into.

Just as he turned the corner, a gasp sounded.

"N-Narut-"

A soft body collided with his and his arms snapped out in reflex to steady said body. Then he was staring down at Hinata's wide pale eyes. The girl's mouth was parted in surprise and as he watched, she gradually turned redder and redder.

"Uh, you're not going to faint on me, are you?" he quickly exclaimed.

His arms shifted from her shoulders to grasp her waist for the fear of her falling down as she had often done in the past. While doing so, he could not help but notice just how tiny her waist was compared to her… um… He quickly gave himself a mental shake, chiding himself for the indecent direction of his thoughts. Neji would crush him into bits if the Hyuuga caught the faintest hint of what had gone through his mind just then.

"N-N-Naruto…" Hinata stuttered.

Allowing his grip to loosen slightly, Naruto gave her what he hoped to be a comforting smile. "You okay?"

She blinked at him and then slowly, she nodded.

Satisfied that she was steady on her feet, Naruto released her waist and took a step back. "I was wondering if you've eaten."

"Eaten?" Hinata echoed uncertainly.

Nodding, Naruto continued, "I'm about to go for some ramen, so I thought maybe you'd like to come."

Her eyes widened even further. "R-Ramen?"

She was stuttering worse than normal. Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto was beginning to wonder if this was a good idea at all. The shy girl was probably thinking that he was hitting on her or something.

"It's okay if you're busy," he finally said.

"NO!"

Surprised, Naruto jumped at her vehement tone. "Um…" he faltered, uncertain how to respond to her.

"I… I'd like some ramen."

An odd sense of relief coursed through him then, bringing forth a wide grin to his face. "Great! Let's go!"

Grabbing her wrist, he took off towards the familiar noodle house. Hinata did not utter another word as both of them ran through the streets of Konoha until Ichiraku came into view.

Soon, both of them were served with steaming hot bowls of ramen. Conversation during their meal was sparse but Naruto did not mind. The fact that he had company was enough, considering how long he had been alone. Hinata's presence was strangely calming to him. He just hoped that the Hyuuga heiress was not bored.

Once upon a time, he had sat there with Sasuke and Sakura. But that was a long time ago, he thought with a sad smile. Now Sakura was a missing-nin, an Akatsuki to boot, and Sasuke was locked up. So much for teamwork, he thought wryly. Kakashi must be so proud of them.

Some sounds from the street drew his attention then. Peering out between the flaps over the door, Naruto caught sight of one of the senior advisors who had been in the meeting earlier. His eyes instantly widened. Had a decision about Sasuke been made?

He jumped off his seat before he remembered that Hinata was still there.

Spinning around, Naruto placed an apologetic hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry to cut this short, Hinata. But those old farts had just come out from a meeting about Sasuke and-"

She interjected quickly, "I understand, N-Naruto-kun." Her cheeks were pink but she gave him an encouraging nod. "You need to… um… find out. Sasuke is one of your important people."

He blinked, and his lips stretched into a soft smile. She understood him. How had he overlooked this girl in all these years? Overcome by something he could not quite name, Naruto reached out to cup her now blazing red cheek in his palms. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him in shock.

"Thank you, Hinata. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

With that, he spun around and rushed off towards the Hokage tower. He was sure that Kakashi and Shikamaru would be with Tsunade to discuss the outcome of the meeting and this was the best time to catch all of them.

However, his steps slowed as he began to climb the steps. Would they tell him the truth? Tsunade knew how close he was to Sasuke, so maybe she would hide the worst from him. Gulping at the thought, Naruto stilled completely.

Then he took a deep breath. He had to find out for sure and the only way to do it was to make sure they did not know he was there.

Stealthily, he backtracked and left through the back. Once he was sure that he had not been spotted, Naruto cloaked his presence and began to scale the wall. Keeping himself hidden in the shadows, he snuck sideways along the external wall until he neared Tsunade's office. He could hear voices now and the voices grew clearer once he was just underneath her window.

Kakashi's quiet voice was heard first. "… was a close call."

A loud sigh filtered through the air. No one but Shikamaru sounded like that, Naruto decided, pressing himself flat against the wall. Come to think of it, those three always seemed to be in one meeting or another nowadays.

"The elders are suspicious."

"I can't blame them. After so many years of hunting Sasuke down, it is a little surprising to find him dumped right outside Konoha," Tsunade pointed out dryly.

Naruto frowned. Sasuke's sudden appearance had been strange, not that he spent much time thinking about it. He had been more concerned about the state Sasuke was in when he was found. Now that he thought about it… how exactly Sasuke had ended up outside Konoha's gates?

"Hmm… I wonder how she had done it? We've been chasing him so many years without luck, and she managed to catch him and send him back," Shikamaru mused.

"You forgot who is her partner," Kakashi pointed out.

Naruto suppressed the urge to peek over the window. She? Her? Partner? Who the hell were they talking about?

Tsunade let out a mirthless chuckle. "Yes, she did not have to actively seek him when Sasuke is so bent on revenge."

Then it clicked.

There was only one person Sasuke was interested in getting revenge on. Itachi. And Itachi was Sakura's Akatsuki partner. So what Tsunade meant was Sakura did not have to look for Sasuke because Sasuke delivered himself straight to Itachi, who happened to be her Akatsuki partner.

So Sakura had sent Sasuke back? Naruto felt a wash of affection towards the pink-haired kunoichi. As upset as he was about her status as a missing-nin, he was glad to know that Sakura cared enough to send Sasuke back.

"She did well anyway, didn't she?" Kakashi remarked, his eye creasing.

Naruto blinked at Kakashi's tone. Why did Kakashi sound so proud of her? As much as he loved his pink-haired teammate, her status as a missing-nin should prevent Kakashi from outwardly showing approval towards Sakura.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Something was going on behind the scenes and it was time he found out what it was.

With that thought, Naruto jumped to his feet and in one swift move, launched himself through the window. Three pairs of stunned eyes stared back at him. Then his lips thinned at the sudden appearance of guilt on their faces.

"What the hell is going on here?"

* * *

A/N: And that's the end of the chapter this week. Hope you've enjoyed it and as always, please review if you could. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing the previous chapter of this story. I know I'm a little late. Unfortunately, real-life has been rather hectic recently. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you'll like it.

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 21**

"What the hell is going on here?"

Kakashi froze at the sight of Naruto. This was not good, he immediately thought. His mind raced as he tried to remember what had been said just before the blonde jumped in through the window.

What was more surprising was that Naruto had managed to sneak up on them. A quick sideways glance told him that Tsunade and Shikamaru were just as stunned. Naruto had certainly surpassed them if neither he nor the other two had detected the blonde's presence.

Forcing a smile to his lips, not that anyone could see it, Kakashi asked mildly, "What do you mean, Naruto?"

Naruto spun towards him. "Don't play dumb, Kakashi-sensei! I heard you all talking about Sakura."

Kakashi raised a brow. "Sakura? What about Sakura?" he asked innocently.

Naruto looked as if he was about to implode and for a second, Kakashi thought he saw a flash of red in those eyes. Where was Tenzou when you needed him? The ANBU was the only one who could subdue the kyuubi's chakra.

Shikamaru sighed heavily. "Naruto, it is best all around if you don't ask anymore questions."

"WHY?!" Naruto exploded vehemently. "If this is about Sakura, I want to know."

Tsunade planted her hands on her hips. "Watch your tongue, Uzumaki! Don't forget who you're speaking to."

Taken aback, Naruto stared at her for long while. When he spoke next, his voice was shaky. "H-Hokage-sama…"

Kakashi instantly tensed. For Naruto to address Tsunade like this, so obviously trying to control his own temper, showed just how far the boy was willing to go for Sakura, not that this was anything new. And how much he had grown.

"If it's about Sakura, please, I need to know," Naruto pled, his eyes gleaming in determination, his hands clenched by his side. "She is very important to me, even if she had left Konoha. But whether she realizes it or not, she belongs in Konoha. So I'll do anything to bring her back."

Tsunade closed her eyes wearily. When she opened them again, she directed an admonishing look towards the blonde shinobi. "Naruto. That's what we're afraid of."

Kakashi's eyes widened in astonishment. Surely Tsunade was not planning to tell Naruto about Sakura. Naruto had too little control over his emotions, therefore he might let the secret out one day without meaning to.

"Naruto, remember how things turned out with Sasuke?"

A moment of hesitation crossed the jinchuuriki's face before he nodded.

"Then you should know that you can't force Sakura to come back," Tsunade said in stony voice. "You of all people should understand that."

"But-" Naruto began.

"ENOUGH!" Tsunade shouted, reaching the end of her patience. "There are ANBU teams assigned to bring back missing-nins, so just let them do their job."

"Who is on Sakura's case? Assign me on that team, then!" Naruto persisted.

"It's confidential and I'm done talking to you. Now, get out before I throw you out," Tsunade snapped.

Displaying his frustration, Naruto's hands clenched tighter by his sides, turning his knuckles white. "But I NEED to do something!"

Tsunade looked as if she was about to implode. The situation would no doubt worsen if one was to leave Tsunade and Naruto to battle it out. Still, there was one thing which could possibly distract Naruto from this. With that thought, Kakashi decided that it was time for him to interject.

"Naruto. You can't afford to go after Sakura."

"Why, damn it?!"

Kakashi raised a brow. "Because Sasuke needs you here."

Naruto's eyes widened and then an odd look came over his face before he exclaimed, "Wait! You haven't told me what happened in that meeting."

"Did you ask?" Tsunade bit out dryly, flicking a knowing glance at Kakashi. It was clear that she understood the reason behind this line of discussion.

"So what happened?" Naruto pressed.

"Sasuke will be kept under lock, but…" Tsunade held up a warning hand as Naruto made to interrupt her. It was only when the jinchuuriki had calmed down that she continued, "You will be allowed to see him."

"Locked up until when? When will he be released?"

"When we are sure that he is not going to run away again," Kakashi supplied.

Shikamaru raised a brow. "Naruto, that's where you come in."

The blonde blinked in question.

"You can keep watch on Sasuke with the ANBU guards. Of course, we would need you to extract some information from that stubborn brat," the Hokage pointed out.

"What about staying in Konoha in my bunshin form?" Naruto asked, looking confused. "I thought I'm supposed to _pretend_ to be in Konoha while my bunshin runs around here."

"You will continue to do that. Your bunshin will be the one questioning Sasuke."

"Then I can still search for Sakura!" Naruto immediately declared.

As Shikamaru sighed, Kakashi slumped in exasperation. Naruto's persistence was astounding, not to mention highly disruptive at such a critical time. The last thing they needed was for Naruto to start hunting Sakura down. Their last encounter had been disturbing enough for everyone involved.

"For the last time, Naruto…" Tsunade gritted out. "Don't try to look for Sakura."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Shikamaru added, "Che, it's not like you don't have other missions to complete, right?"

Naruto's eyes flickered as a thoughtful expression graced his features, making Kakashi wonder what the jinchuuriki was thinking. Whatever it was, it could not be anything good.

After what seemed like a long time, Naruto finally muttered grudgingly, "Fine."

Tsunade gave him a curt nod. "Now get out and stop spying."

A strained smile appeared on Naruto's lips as he moved towards the window. "You let your guard down, Baa-chan. Otherwise you'd have known I was out there."

None of them bothered to correct Naruto's assumption. As he hopped out of the window and disappeared from their sight, Kakashi wondered when Naruto would realize that he had, in fact, surpassed them in a number of areas. Kakashi supposed it was to be expected. Konoha was lucky indeed that the new generation of shinobi was highly skilled.

"Smoothly done, Kakashi," Shikamaru muttered. "Hopefully Naruto would be distracted enough to forget what he heard."

Kakashi nodded.

However, he could not help but wonder why Naruto had given in so quickly. Whilst it was true that Naruto was easily distracted, Kakashi knew that when it came to Sasuke or Sakura, the blonde could be doggedly relentless.

He supposed he simply have to keep a closer watch on the hyperactive blonde these days.

* * *

The forest sped by in a blur as Sakura's feet skimmed the tree limbs, moving in tandem with the Mist shinobi beside her. They had just completed their second mission and were now on their way back to the Akatsuki stronghold in Lightning Country. As with the first mission, she had kept herself attached to Kisame's side in the attempt to keep the distance between her and Itachi.

It was difficult, trying to ignore Itachi while on a mission. The Uchiha had not helped matters at all. It was as if he had sensed that she was trying to avoid him and in response, he had kept throwing odd glances in her direction. What was worse was the fact that those glances always conjured up what had happened between them in the bathroom.

Sakura grimaced in irritation as she launched herself from one branch to another. Pein's refusal to allow her to move to Deidara's team was definitely causing her a lot of problems. What bothered her most was the fact that the Akatsuki leader had not taken that long to consider it in the first place. It had only taken him a few minutes before Tobi had gone to see him.

Tobi…

She blinked as a thought occurred to her. Could it be that Pein had asked to see Tobi because he wanted Tobi's opinion on the subject? But why Tobi? Tobi was just an ordinary Akatsuki member, wasn't he?

Wasn't he?

Her brows furrowed as she ran through everything she knew about Tobi so far. There had been a few incidences that did not quite fit in with her views on Tobi, and these included Itachi's obvious suspicion of the masked man. Another odd incident was the time when she had overheard the conversation between Pein and someone called Madara only to find that there was no one else present except Tobi in the place when they arrived.

In addition to that, Deidara had told her and Itachi some time ago about Tobi having an argument with Pein about some power issue. Now why would Pein allow Tobi to do such a thing if he was only a regular Akatsuki member? It did not make sense.

Unless Tobi was more influential that she had thought. But just how influential? If Pein could not make a small decision like allowing her to move from one team to another on his own, just how much power did Pein actually wield? Was Tobi the true leader of the Akatsuki? Was his carefree attitude simply a disguise?

The sudden warmth around her finger drew her attention and Sakura glanced downwards to see her Akatsuki ring glowing. Wondering what was it about, she touched it and the message flashed across her mind. Her steps faltered to a complete stop when she realized who it was and what was the problem.

Come to think of it, this might be quite a good opportunity for her to convince Pein that she was better off with Deidara and Tobi. Not to mention if Tobi actually held some power in the Akatsuki, it would make sense for her to attach herself to his team instead. Perhaps it was time for her to shift her focus onto Tobi.

"What is it?" Kisame asked, stopping beside her.

Sakura had to forcibly keep her posture relaxed when Itachi joined them then.

"It's Tobi. They are having some problems with the contact. I need to go there to resolve it." Keeping her voice even, she continued, "I don't think I'll make it in time for the next mission."

"We will continue with the next mission," the Uchiha announced levelly.

Carefully avoiding eye contact with Itachi, Sakura nodded in Kisame's direction instead. "That's probably best, or we won't make the deadline."

Kisame raised a brow before flicking a puzzled glance at Itachi, telling Sakura that her action had been a little too obvious. Thankfully, he made no comment. The Mist shinobi was not stupid. They had worked together far too long for him to miss the signs of strain between her and Itachi. And yet, she knew that it had to be done. As much as it hurt her professional pride, she needed to encourage this partnership between her and Itachi to deteriorate for more than one reason. Surely Pein would eventually notice and then move her to Deidara's team.

On the other hand, Pein could kill her for her incompetence.

Itachi's voice broke her out of her contemplations. "Where is Tobi?"

"Half a day to the west." Her tone was brisk. "I'll go now."

"Hm."

"We'll meet back in the base, I take it?" Kisame asked.

Sakura nodded.

* * *

It had taken Sakura a few hours to traverse the rugged land of Lightning Country to reach Deidara's and Tobi's location. When she arrived at the small village where her contact operated from, the situation was not quite what she had expected. The street she was standing in was ominously quiet, telling Sakura that the common villagers had gone into hiding. It was a good thing, for no one knew how this confrontation would play out.

"She finally here, yeah," the blonde declared without taking his eyes off his target.

"Sakura-san will work things out!" the other Akatsuki exclaimed loudly.

"Work things out? We should just blast them both to the sky and then grab the money!"

Deidara and Tobi were standing facing the building which housed her contact's organization, both of them tensed in preparation for battle. Sakura's eyes widened when she took note of the familiar purple-haired shinobi behind her nervous contact. Further back, there were around ten others, also clearly shinobi. Her contact's own guards were laying on the floor, looking very dead.

"H-Haruno-san…" her grey-haired contact stuttered.

"What the hell is going on here, Hideki?" she gritted out. Then she inclined her head at the shinobi in who had her contact in a chokehold. "Why is he here?"

"He's the one who caused this mess, yeah!" Deidara accused.

The shinobi smirked. "Yes, this whole thing was simply a trap orchestrated by me." He narrowed his eyes at Sakura. "Fortunately, I managed to persuade your contact to… cooperate."

She glanced sharply at her contact, Hideki, wondering just how many of his missions were fakes.

Alarm spreading over his features, Hideki held up his hands. "I didn't know anything until this morning when I asked for the rest of the fees. He ambushed us."

"So, you're the one behind this," Sakura remarked coldly towards the shinobi.

"Perhaps. I believe you took something of mine."

Sakura shrugged carelessly. "Can't say I remember what I took, though."

Anger flashed across his face. "One year ago. Iwa. A pair of kodachi."

Sakura keep her expression even, although she now knew which mission the shinobi was talking about. It was one that Idate had contracted, so she had no idea where those weapons might be now. Not that she was planning to tell this man if she did.

"Past catching up to you, hm, Sakura?" Deidara mocked with a small chuckle.

She flicked a scowl at him before turning her attention back to the shinobi. If she remembered correctly, this purple-haired shinobi had been the owner of the weapons. He and his team had obviously done a bad job of protecting it seeing that she and Idate had not taken that long to make it out of the village with their precious pair of kodachi.

"Who the hell are those bastards anyway?" Tobi asked.

"Idate and I were contracted to infiltrate his village and we made it out with those weapons. He was trying to sell it to the highest bidder at that time," Sakura explained.

Deidara's brow lifted. "Idate… As in the one-"

"The same one," Sakura interjected before the blonde could give away more. She did not know if Idate's team could handle an ambush from these shinobi, should they survive this encounter and decide to search for the black-haired pervert.

Obviously in a hurry to progress the encounter, the purple-haired shinobi threw Hideki towards one of his underlings. Spinning to face them fully, he unsheathed his katana. The blade gleamed in the sunlight as he raised it threateningly. Sakura's body instantly reacted, her chakra concentrating around her limb in readiness.

"Tell me where it is," he snarled.

"Oi! Who do you think you're talking to, hm?" Deidara shot back.

Gesturing with one arm, Tobi added, "Yeah! We are the Akatsuki! A small fry like you don't even have a chance against us."

The shinobi's expression twisted in anger. Without another word, he signaled his team and then streaked forward. By this time, Sakura already channeled her chakra into her fist, ready to greet her opponent with her monstrous strength.

Two female shinobi charged her directly, and were immediately taken down by her fists. Both crashed into the side of a wooden building some distance away, but Sakura had no time to pause, for another enemy came straight for her. Steeling herself, she waited until he approached before she made her move.

The stocky shinobi took a hit from her and went flying across the street like the previous two. However, much to Sakura's surprise, he immediately jumped to his feet. Her gaze went to the dent in his body where her blow had landed, and emerald orbs widened at the sight of his chest returning back into shape, leaving him unaffected. It must be his bloodline limit or something. This battle could be harder than she had anticipated, for it was obvious that the purple-haired leader was more prepared with his team this time.

She darted towards him and they met in a flurry of attacks. After a long while of trading fruitless blows, Sakura grew frustrated by the lack of progress. Her monstrous strength had not affected her opponent at all, seeing that he had literally bounced back from each of her hits.

Glancing swiftly over her shoulder, she saw that Deidara and Tobi had managed to take down four of the others, leaving them to deal with two each.

It was then that the purple-haired leader managed to get away from Tobi, shifting his attention to her. Ducking a blow from her resilient opponent, Sakura launched up high in the air before the leader's katana reached her.

"Let's see how you deal with both of us at the same time," the purple-haired shinobi hissed, his eyes narrowing threateningly.

In a blink of an eye, they were upon her. Deciding that brute strength would not work, she manipulated her chakra to form scalpel blades. Swift taijutsu techniques followed, allowing her to injure her opponents enough to slow them down even though she sustained a few hits.

Then a yell rang through the air.

"That's it! I've had enough!"

Blocking the purple-haired shinobi's katana with her metal-reinforced wristguard, Sakura snuck a backwards glance to find an irate Deidara molding something in both palms. Whatever it was, it looked big, she noted with alarm.

"Tobi! Sakura! Take cover!" the blonde yelled.

Her eyes widened in horror but she quickly obeyed, performing an earth jutsu to allow her to sink into the ground. What the hell was Deidara planning?

Before she could finish her train of thought, a loud explosion sounded and the ground around her shook at the impact. Swallowing a gasp, she waited until the after-shocks had died down before she surfaced.

The view that greeted her made her jaw drop.

She was standing at the edge of a large crater. From what she could tell, all the enemy shinobi were down, either dead or unconscious. Tobi was nowhere to be seen so Sakura could only assume that he was still in hiding.

And then she saw Deidara laying face-down in the middle of the crater. She had patched him up so many times that she had lost count. And even though she knew that she was not supposed to feel anything but hate for the members of the Akatsuki, she could not help but feel sickened by the amount of blood pouring out of Deidara's numerous wounds.

Throat constricting with apprehension, she ran towards him. Dropping to her knees, she placed her glowing hands on his back, and to her relief, found his heartbeat. As she let out the breath she did not realize she had been holding, Sakura quickly injected her healing chakra into his limp body. The damage was quite extensive but slowly, his burnt flesh began to knit together.

He stirred just as she finished her healing.

Heavy lids opened to reveal a pair of blue eyes. "Sakura?"

Now that she knew he was alright, her worry immediately translated into anger. "Deidara, you idiot! You need to learn some sense of self-preservation," she snapped furiously.

Unperturbed, Deidara smirked and stood up on wobbly feet. "You're here to fix us up, yeah."

Sakura's blood ran cold for a moment. No, she would not be there to fix them all the time. In fact, one day she would end up being the one harming them instead. Casting him a stern look, she scolded, "And what if I'm not around to heal you? One day you might just die."

"As long as I go out with a bang, I-"

"DON'T you dare finish that sentence!"

He blinked at her vehemence.

Sakura took a deep breath to calm herself. "Look, just value your own life a little, alright? I really don't want to see you blown up to bits for the sake of your art. I'd rather you remain alive."

He continued to stare wordlessly at her.

"Deidara… Promise me."

This time, his eyes widened.

Her expression hardened as she shook a fist in front of his face. "Deidara…" she gritted out in warning.

He averted his eyes and snorted. "Yeah, fine."

Silence descended upon them, and Sakura suddenly realized just how concerned she had sounded back then. It was most un-Akatsuki-like and no doubt she was making Deidara very uncomfortable by her words.

She stood up abruptly.

"One less Akatsuki means less money. And we can't afford that," she said crisply.

A moment passed before she heard Deidara.

"Yeah."

* * *

Their third mission had been completed without mishap and both he and Kisame were now back in the Akatsuki's Lightning Country base. No one else was there except the two of them; the other team clearly had not completed their task yet.

The thought of it brought Itachi's attention back to the kunoichi who had left to join Deidara and Tobi, or rather, Madara. He could not afford to be distracted by such foolishness but he found himself unable to shift the direction of his thoughts. Sakura's behavior was too obvious to ignore.

Standing by the side door, Itachi's lips compressed into a disapproving line as he stared out into the empty training grounds. He wondered just how long the kunoichi planned to avoid him. Truly, the kunoichi's behavior was beginning to grate on his nerves. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that she was avoiding him deliberately. Her eagerness to join the other team was far too obvious to miss. And it could not be a coincidence that this act of hers had begun just after their interaction in the bathroom.

He was hard-pressed to understand why was he unsettled by the notion of Sakura working with the other team. Was it because Madara was in the other team? Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Working so closely with Madara would allow Sakura to gain further knowledge of his ability, hence _Madara_'s ability. Considering how talkative the kunoichi was, it should not be too hard to pry the information from her.

A small voice at the back of his mind reminded Itachi that the kunoichi was currently bent on distancing herself from him and would therefore be reluctant to speak to him, let alone impart any information. This could be a problem and he would have to rectify the situation before he could attempt to gain any information from her.

Since Sakura had informed them that the next mission would begin in four days, it gave him ample time to conclude his current plan. This morning, he had sent a message to his contacts to mobilize in two days, and they had acknowledged his instruction in return. Itachi smirked inwardly. Once they served their purpose, he would eliminate them to destroy the evidence of his involvement, even though it was highly unlikely that Pein would link him to such a thing. Madara might grow suspicious. However, considering the rift between him and Pein, there was a possibility that Pein might suspect Madara instead. Such a thing would certainly be beneficial.

A soft tinkle of laughter reached him then, drawing Itachi out of his contemplations. Expanding his senses, he noted that Sakura had returned with the other two Akatsuki.

Deciding that he preferred not to interact with them at the present moment, Itachi stood up and made his way into the house, heading for the privacy of his bedroom. However, fortune was not on his side, for Madara, disguised as Tobi, noted his presence before he could ascend the stairs.

"Itachi-san! We're back!"

He had no wish to speak to the masked shinobi but he knew that it would only cause unnecessary complications if he ignored Tobi. Holding his annoyance in check, Itachi slowly turned around. The disguised Uchiha was standing at the threshold of the entrance, and through the open door, Itachi could see Deidara and Sakura laughing about something. The easy camaraderie between those two sparked his displeasure and he had to forcibly redirect his gaze towards the other shinobi instead.

"You finished your mission fast," the masked man exclaimed. "Sakura-san told us that you're already on your third one. We've done only two."

Deidara stepped in, smirking as he caught Tobi's words. "Yeah, but we had a blast, didn't we?"

Sakura's eyes flicked up at him and Itachi held it for a second before the kunoichi averted her eyes. "Deidara was trying to get himself killed as usual," she supplied casually.

"It's going to happen sooner or later, anyway," Tobi chirped lightly. "And we all know how he's going to die."

"Tobi!" Sakura gasped, blinking incredulously at him.

Eyes gleaming, Deidara remarked, "I'll make sure I'll blow you up first, yeah, Tobi."

Waving his hands about vigorously, the masked man protested, "No! You can die all by yourself."

"Enough! What the hell is wrong with you two?!" Sakura snapped irritably.

Deciding that he had heard enough of the nonsensical conversation, Itachi turned around and continued to climb the stair. He was already halfway up when the kunoichi's voice reached him.

"Itachi?"

His steps stilled. She sounded uncomfortable, as she had done each time she spoke to him recently. He was tempted to ignore her but to do so was simply childish. He compromised by glancing at her over his shoulder.

"There has been a change of plans."

Itachi tensed at her proclamation. Change of plans?

"The next mission after this one… We're moving out tomorrow instead of in four days time," she continued.

"Why?" Itachi asked flatly, realizing that it would disrupt his own plans if this mission did not conclude within two days.

"Her contact is giving problems, yeah. And Pein don't want to drop this contact and waste more time scouting missions," Deidara explained.

Footsteps descending from above signaled the approach of Kisame, who had obviously heard the sound of their conversation and had decided to join in.

"What is this all about? What contact?" Kisame asked.

"The contact was just ambushed by some rogues back at his base. We have two other missions lined up for him and now he wants it done sooner," the kunoichi elaborated. "After what just happened, he has plans to leave the country in a few days and unless we forgo the mission and lose the fees, we'll have to carry out his missions now."

What Itachi wished to do right at that moment was to ensure that the contact would not be walking anywhere anytime soon. However, he was fully aware that there was nothing he could do but to carry out the mission, or else his actions might be construed as suspicious by the others. After all, his main focus was supposed to be Akatsuki's goals.

Therefore he would simply have to ensure that they completed the mission fast enough to avoid any interference with his own plans. With that, he directed a pointed look at the kunoichi. Her eyes flicked but she held his gaze.

"Then perhaps we should begin today," he intoned levelly.

Beside the kunoichi, Deidara's eyes widened. "Today?! We just got back, yeah."

"Out of chakra so soon?" Kisame taunted with a smirk.

Deidara glowered at the other Akatsuki. "Shut up, yeah."

"Deidara. You and Tobi can start tomorrow if you want," Sakura interjected. "Yours won't take as long. Or you can ask Pein to use the orb to top up your chakra."

"I don't trust that damned thing, yeah," Deidara grumbled. "Who knows what else it does?"

"If anything is wrong with the thing, don't you think we would know by now?" Kisame asked with a derisive snort.

The conversation was veering dangerously close in the direction Itachi least wished it to be. Conscious that he would have to redirect it before any of them asked more questions, he directed his attention to the kunoichi again.

"We will mobilize today."

She nodded at him. "Fine."

Moving his head side to side to crack his neck, Kisame added, "What are we waiting for? Let's go."

* * *

The tension between them was growing worse, she noted as they made their way to the site of their assassination mission.

Whilst this was exactly what she wanted to achieve, Sakura still found it difficult to face. Although Itachi was not the most talkative of the Akatsuki, they used to share a comfortable comradeship and to her astonishment, she missed it.

But it was necessary, she kept telling herself. For the greater good of her mission for the Leaf, she needed to widen the distance between them however painful it was. There was no other way.

After the previous mission, Pein had told her to use her own discretion if she thinks that she needed to join the other team on occasion. It was a concession of sorts, she guessed. But right now, she was sorely tempted to use that as an excuse to go to Tobi and Deidara permanently. Surely it would be less uncomfortable than working with Itachi like this.

She sighed. It was too late to do anything about this current mission now. She would use that excuse and switch teams for her next one. And then, slowly, she would just stay with Tobi and Deidara instead of Itachi and Kisame.

"Kunoichi."

Sakura glanced sideways at the tall Mist shinobi. He was giving her an odd look. "What?"

He inclined his head to the front, where Itachi was walking some distance away. "What's going on?"

Forcing herself not to glance away in discomfort, Sakura replied innocently, "What do you mean?"

"Don't give me that. You mean to tell me that the two of you traveled like this for the last few weeks when you were scouting? With him walking so far ahead?"

She shrugged, continuing to walk without answering him. What could she say? That after their kiss in the bathroom, she had gone out of her way to avoid Itachi? That she could not stomach such blatant betrayal of Konoha? That she did not want to risk getting closer to the Uchiha because it would only end in heartbreak?

Kisame eyed her assessingly and Sakura had to fight the urge to stiffen defensively. She supposed Kisame had every right to ask, seeing that he probably could feel the tension between her and Itachi. The Mist shinobi could be very perceptive at times.

Sighing heavily and hoping that Itachi was not listening in, Sakura finally murmured, "Look, we had a bit of a… misunderstanding, alright?"

Kisame's brows rose. "A misunderstanding, eh?"

She scowled at him. "Why are you being so nosy, anyway, Shark-Face?"

"Feels like I'm standing between two explosive tags." His tone was flat.

"Deal with it," she growled. "Or can't you handle a little tension between teammates?"

The Mist shinobi continued as if he had not heard her. "Never thought I'd see the day."

Curiosity sparked, she asked cautiously, "What do you mean?"

Waving a hand in Itachi's direction, Kisame responded, "This… thing. Between the two of you."

Sakura immediately went rigid. "There's NOTHING between us two," she hissed vehemently. "You're seeing something that's not there."

"Didn't think that you're the type to lie to yourself, kunoichi," he remarked glibly.

Irritated beyond belief and feeling utterly unsettled by Kisame's words, Sakura glowered at him. So what if Kisame figured out what was happening? It did not matter, right? After all, it was not going to change anything.

Kisame smirked and looked away but thankfully, he said nothing more.

They continued onwards silently from that point onwards and Sakura could not help but ponder upon Kisame's words. She was not lying to herself. If she was, she would still be denying the attraction between her and Itachi. Instead, she had admitted it and was trying her best to resolve it. Too bad it seemed to be more difficult than she had anticipated.

Sighing inwardly, Sakura forced herself to stop thinking about the topic. They had a mission to complete and she had to focus on it.

Before long, they were sneaking stealthily into enemy territory.

* * *

As Kisame counted the money in the sack, Itachi's gaze went to the kunoichi beside the Mist shinobi.

She was still deliberately avoiding him and had kept herself by Kisame's side throughout the entire mission as she had done for the first two missions. And this was simply because of a kiss? Surely the kunoichi was mature enough to handle such things without being emotionally involved.

Perhaps not, considering who she was.

However, although she had been the one who had instigated their distance, it was obvious that she was affected enough to be careless during their mission.

Itachi thought back to the events which had led to the current delay, grimacing as he did so. This would not have happened if the kunoichi had not been distracted. The entire mission would have been completed yesterday. Instead, her inattention had caused her to fall into a trap. Whilst it had not been difficult to release her with their combined strengths, it had raised the alarm and this had allowed the target to escape. It had then taken them an entire day to track down the heavily guarded daimyou.

They had suffered a heavy loss of chakra from the two whole days of constant battle and tracking with no rest. However, the mission was successful and they were now standing outside Sakura's contact's temporary hideout with the fees in Kisame's hands.

Itachi clenched his fists in a rare display of displeasure. The kunoichi's actions meant that he might miss the window of opportunity he had arranged to execute his plan. It was unacceptable.

"It's all here," Kisame declared as he slung the pack over his shoulder.

"Let's go," Itachi instructed.

The kunoichi remained silent as she had done ever since her mishap but she followed without a pause when they moved.

As they sped away from the hideout into the sparse forest beyond in the direction of the Akatsuki stronghold, he slanted a glance at Sakura again. Brows furrowed, she was wearing a look of utter concentration. In all the time they had worked together previously, she had not been this silent. That very fact irked him further, compelling him to speak out.

"Sakura."

She flicked a glance at him, but her steps did not slow. "Yes?"

Shifting closer to her, he asked smoothly, "It was a simple mission, was it not?"

This time, her steps faltered into a complete stop. Wishing to get to the bottom of their problem, Itachi halted in front of her.

"What are you trying to say?" she responded cautiously, her arms crossed over her chest in what he perceived as a defensive gesture.

Ignoring a puzzled Kisame who had just landed beside them, Itachi intoned stonily, "Your lack of concentration is a liability."

Emerald orbs flashed indignantly. "I didn't ask you to save me, did I?" she shot back. "And anyway, it was Kisame who busted the lock to free me."

"Uh… Hey…" Kisame tried to interject.

Sakura's eyes remained fixed to him even though her words were directed to Kisame. "Don't, Kisame. It's between him and me."

Itachi suppressed the urge to tighten his hands around her slender neck. She was obviously in an argumentative mood. Even so, Itachi knew that his own irritation at her behavior for the last couple of weeks was fuelling the heat in his words.

"Let's move. We don't have all day," Kisame ventured gruffly.

"Yeah, let's go," the kunoichi agreed.

Keeping his eyes fixed on the glowering kunoichi, Itachi requested in an uncompromising tone, "Would you leave us for a moment, Kisame?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "You don't need to do that, Kisame," she threw back.

Kisame glanced uncertainly between both of them. "I'm.. uh-"

"I insist," Itachi interjected quietly.

Kisame blinked, his indecision displayed clearly upon his features.

Then a loud huff of exasperation escaped the Mist shinobi. "Whatever this is, I'll leave the two of you to sort it out," he growled irritably as he spun away from them.

"Kisame!" Sakura hissed in protest. "Come back."

"Just deal with it before I get back."

With a backward wave over his shoulders, Kisame walked away, leaving Sakura alone with Itachi. Now that he had her full attention, he was not certain that this conversation was going to be useful at all, judging by the mutinous expression on her face. And yet, Itachi knew that they had to talk. To continue in this manner would be foolish indeed.

He decided to go straight to the crux of the matter. "What has been done cannot be changed."

The fire in her eyes flickered, but she did not say anything even though she was obviously aware of what he was referring to.

"It is foolish to dwell upon it," he added firmly.

"I'm not thinking about it," she immediately retorted. "This has nothing to do with what happened between us."

"Hm." After a short pause, Itachi asked in a quiet voice, "Why are you afraid?"

Affronted, her eyes sparked. "I'm not," she declared tightly.

He took a step towards her, and she immediately took two steps back. Raising a brow pointedly, he said, "You are."

Closing her eyes, Sakura inhaled deeply. When she opened them again, those green orbs were resolute. "Look, Itachi. Don't make this difficult. You know we cannot get involved."

Something about her words irked him. Perhaps it was the fact that she was effectively rejecting him. Although her actions over the past few days had conveyed as much, it was still a bitter pill to swallow to hear it straight from her mouth.

"Why not?" he asked before he could consider his words.

Her eyes rounded incredulously. "Are you listening to yourself, Itachi?"

"I'm merely curious as to your reasoning." His tone was clipped, somewhat discomfited by his own question.

She took a deep breath. "This kind of thing encourages… emotions."

Emotions? "It does not need to be."

She stiffened visibly. "I sure hope you're not saying what I think you're saying, Itachi. I'm certainly not planning to become your bedmate for the sake of your convenience."

He had not intended to imply such a thing but now that she mentioned it, his words had certainly sounded like he was offering nothing but physical companionship. Was that not the very notion he had once considered but soon discarded because he knew that the kunoichi was not the type of accept such a thing?

So what was he offering now? What did he want from her? Something more than physical companionship? He did not believe in nonsensical emotional things, therefore whatever it was, emotions did not come into it. If that was the case, then what exactly was the situation?

To Itachi's chagrin, he found himself in the uncharacteristic position of not being able to arrive at a satisfactory answer.

"You're the one who started this conversation, Itachi. Now, if you're not planning to clarify that comment, then stop bringing this up and maybe we'll have a good chance of finishing the next mission without mishap," she said tersely.

Disliking the uncomfortable sensation coursing through him at that very moment, Itachi streaked forward to close the distance between them. Wide green orbs met his unflinchingly and from the heightened color in her cheeks, Itachi knew that Sakura's temper was about to get the better of her.

"Are you displeased by this discussion?" he asked silkily, even though he was not certain why he was asking such a question. The answer would not benefit him in any way. In fact, this entire conversation was growing to be pointless.

She held his gaze when she replied, "I don't want to discuss this, Itachi. You should know that by now. In fact, I want the whole thing to just go away."

The slight waver in her tone gave away her shaky emotional state, telling him that she was having difficulty in maintaining her calm. What surprised Itachi most was the acute annoyance which coursed through him when he registered what she had said. What he should do now was to simply turn around and walk away. After all, regardless of her body language, the kunoichi had declared her disinterest.

However, instead of doing so, he grasped her shoulders in his hands to hold her in place before she could react. His blood racing in reaction to his growing annoyance, Itachi could only stare at the pair of shocked emerald eyes upturned to him.

They remained locked in that position for a long while, neither of them speaking as the tension between them grew heavier by the second.

Then a flash of heat appeared in her eyes, drawing a similar response from him. Without conscious thought, his gaze dropped to her lips and he was hit by a sudden urge to kiss her again. Slightly parted, her soft flesh seemed to be beckoning him. Taunting him to give in to his urge.

A hitch in her breath caught his attention and he looked back up into her eyes. This time, there was a hint of panic in those orbs, reminding him of a scared animal. She had sensed his intent. What would she do now?

His question was answered a second later, when a pair of small hands snapped up to his wrist. His reflex kicked in and he released his hold on her shoulders when those hands began to glow. Unrestrained, Sakura immediately backed away from him, her troubled eyes flickered back and forth between him and the ground.

Feeling rather disoriented by what had almost happened between them again, Itachi could only watch silently as the kunoichi took in deep breaths to recompose herself. It occurred to him then that the situation between them might have gotten worse when her entire form tensed.

Directing a steely gaze at him, Sakura warned in a tight voice, "Don't do that again."

Irked by her tone, he responded icily, "Are you giving me orders, Sakura?"

Her hands clenched and her body trembled slightly in obvious anger. "We are comrades and nothing more. So I expect some personal space."

Itachi's eyes narrowed in displeasure. But before he could respond, she spun around and leapt into the trees, quickly disappearing from his sight.

For a moment, he considered giving chase. However, sanity prevailed and he remained motionless. This was not the time to entertain such foolishness, regardless of how tempting it might be.

As he thought back to his actions, Itachi wondered if he might have overreacted. Perhaps the combination of urgency of his plans and the kunoichi's avoidance was beginning to affect his judgment. His priority was clear. The plan was already set in motion and he would have to progress with it now to ensure success. Although there was still time for that, he was aware that he could afford no mistakes now.

As for the kunoichi, he would simply handle the situation once this initial part of his plans concluded.

The soft rustle of trees signaled Kisame's return.

When the Mist shinobi came into view, he glanced around questioningly. "Where's the kunoichi?"

Knowing that he had to keep Kisame occupied as well, Itachi inclined his head in the direction of the kunoichi's flight. "Go after her."

"What about you, Itachi-san?"

"I have… personal… matters to attend to," Itachi replied, hardening his tone to discourage any more questions. His contacts would be mobilizing shortly and that gave him only a small window of time to carry out his plans. He had to move now.

"Fine. I'll see you back at the base, then."

"Aa."

* * *

Leaping from one tree branch to another, Sakura tried to calm the erratic heartbeats thundering through her. The encounter with Itachi was the last thing she needed. She had been uncomfortable being around him before. But now, she did not even know how she would face him the next time they met.

It left her with no choice, she thought grimly as she dropped down to a secluded spot on the ground.

Pressing her fingers to her ring, Sakura performed to jutsu to contact Deidara. She waited for a while, and when there was no response, she began to frown. What was Deidara doing? Was he still occupied with the mission?

She should have figured that this would go wrong as well. Like everything else in her life at the moment apparently.

She sighed heavily as Itachi's words rang through her head. Much as she hated to admit it, she knew that Itachi was right. She had been distracted, and that had made her a liability. Such a thing was not acceptable in Konoha, let alone the Akatsuki.

The reason for her distraction was clear. It would be stupid to deny that Itachi was affecting her really badly and what was worse was that he did not seem bothered by the entire thing. Of course he was not bothered, she fumed. As far as he was concerned, she was an available female, comrade or not. But to her, things were different. Itachi was an enemy of Konoha and she could not afford to get involved in this messed up attraction between them no matter what.

He did not need to make things worse by airing their whole attraction openly like that. Not to mention imply that they could have a purely physical relationship. Things had gone too far for her to accept something like that.

So she had decided to take the only route left to her. Her loyalty was to Konoha and that meant being an effective spy in the Akatsuki. It did not mean that she had to be anywhere near Itachi. Therefore, once she found Deidara and Tobi, she would join their team. Pein would have to deal with it, of course, but she could work out something feasible to tell him. The worst thing that could happen was that Pein would punish her for insubordination.

Anything was better at this point in time.

Her contemplations were broken abruptly when her ring flashed. Realizing that it was Deidara, she quickly performed a simple jutsu. Moments later, Deidara's projection was standing before her. To her surprise, he seemed a little breathless.

"This had better be important. I was in the middle of a fight, yeah," he immediately grumbled.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"Just got out of that damned place," Deidara replied irritably. "The only good thing about this entire mission was that I got to blow things up. Can't you find a mission that doesn't involve stealing things or kidnapping?"

Her eyes narrowed as she ground out, "You go scout for the missions then. And then you can answer to Pein when the funds don't meet his expectations."

Deidara's eyes rounded slightly, obviously sensing her frayed temper. After a short pause, he ventured cautiously, "What's the matter, yeah? Did something happen?"

Sakura took a deep breath, telling herself that nothing good would come of taking her annoyance out on Deidara. "Stay where you are, alright. I'm going to join you."

Looking surprised, Deidara asked, "What about Kisame and the Uchiha?"

"Not here," she bit out curtly.

A puzzled expression crossed the blonde's face, but wisely, he did not push the matter. Instead, he asked, "Where are you now?"

"Not far from where you are. I'll be there in half an hour at the most."

"Get here fast, yeah," Deidara said as his projection fizzled out of sight.

She had no intention of doing otherwise. Right now, all she wanted to do was to get as far as she could from Itachi. It was cowardly of her, she was ashamed to admit, but the whole situation left her with no other choice.

With that thought, she began to run, using her chakra to enhance her speed. It would not take long to reach Deidara and Tobi. So she wouldn't have much time to think up a reason for wanting to join their team, short of using the same one she had given Pein. That would have to do for now.

What did it matter to them anyway? Whichever team she joined, she was still an Akatsuki and carry out the necessary tasks. Surely they would understand that.

Her steps faltered when she suddenly felt the swift approach of foreign chakra. The nature of the chakra was unmistakably hostile and her entire body tensed at the realization.

"What the-"

Then all at once, they appeared before her and quickly surrounded her.

This time her lips parted in shock.

There were four of them, and their identity was clear from their attire. Those standing around her were Konoha ANBU. And what was worse, the slight variation in their uniform told her that these were not the normal ones.

These shinobi were members of ANBU Root.

"Haruno Sakura."

* * *

A/N: Hope that you've enjoyed that. As always, please leave me a review if you could. Thanks!

:elle6778:

* * *


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Hi there everyone! Thanks for you reviews of the previous chapter. Two-thirds of the story is now complete - I'm still aiming for 32 chapter, so we should have 10 more to go. Here's the next instalment and I hope that you'll enjoy it.

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 22**

The black crow landed on the moss-covered floor, squawking out a clear message as it did so. The Akatsuki's headquarters in Bird Country was under Suna's attack, with only Pein and Konan available to defend it.

It was the signal for him to commence.

Things were going according to plan, Itachi thought with satisfaction as he dismissed the crow. The number of ANBU squads from Suna ensured that Pein's attention would be occupied for a considerable amount of time. Suna's forces had acted on the information he had deliberately leaked out a few days ago. Considering just how angry Suna was about the role Akatsuki had played four years ago in the capture and extraction of their Kazekage's bijuu, Itachi had correctly predicted that they would act upon the information that the Akatsuki leader was located in Bird Country.

Itachi glanced around. The muffled sound of dripping water echoed through the cold, damp cave. Set in the secluded south-western part of Lightning Country, its unfavorable atmosphere ensured that none ventured to the area unless absolutely necessary. But Itachi paid no attention to his surrounding as he called forth the foreign chakra in his body to execute the jutsu.

In moments, the entire cave vibrated with the energy of the powerful summoning technique. Not moving a muscle, Itachi sustained the jutsu until the monstrous statue of the King of Hell appeared before him. The only other person who could summon the statue was Pein, and at the moment, Itachi knew that the Akatsuki leader was busy. This gave him the perfect opportunity to do what he wished to the statue he had just summoned.

The hachibi.

Or to be precise, a particular gift of the hachibi. He did not need to take in the entire bijuu as the reproduction seal he had created would be sufficient to provide him with a constant supply of what he required. Aside from the fact that he refused to take what he did not require, Itachi was also aware that absorbing the whole bijuu was impossible, considering the amount of chakra he had at his disposal.

Pein's chakra had allowed him to execute the summoning jutsu and now, Itachi knew that he had to begin the extraction process using the remainder of the chakra trapped within the seal. Since the seal had been designed to mimic the reproduction abilities of the Akatsuki's initiation orb, it had accumulated and multiplied both Pein's and Tobi's chakra over the last few weeks.

It was not a technique one would use at a whim. To prevent anyone from using it for this purpose, the technique came with a price. It was fortunate that he only intended to use it this once, or else his body would soon be damaged beyond repair. As it was, he was exposing himself to a large risk of chakra damage.

However, by the end of this operation, such damage was not something he would have to be concerned about any longer.

By the end of this, the regenerative abilities of the hachibi would soon be completely absorbed into the seal he had created on his arm.

* * *

"Haruno Sakura."

Keeping her body still, a wary Sakura eyed the one who had spoken. It was not a voice she recognized, but then again, the only Root member she knew was Sai. Knowing how dangerous Sai could be, she knew that she was currently facing what could be a really bad situation.

"You got the wrong person," she replied flatly.

"Were you not once the great Godaime's apprentice?"

Sakura simply stared back, but her mind was racing with possible ways of getting herself out of this predicament. Things did not look good, considering that she was not at full capacity after their most recent mission.

"Perhaps there is something you wish to impart to your mentor."

The situation was turning odder by the second. She had expected them to attack first and ask questions later. Root wasn't generally known for mercy after all. Brows furrowing, Sakura wondered if he meant it literally. Surely they did not expect a missing-nin to keep in contact with the Hokage of the country she had escaped from. And there was no way that Tsunade would let a random ANBU Root squad in on her real status.

"Tsunade-sama would wish to hear from you, don't you think?" he added softly.

This time, the ANBU's words brought forth an instant suspicion. It was as if he was fishing for information. The only possibility was that he suspected that she was spying for Tsunade. But what had happened in Konoha to lead to this?

Voice even, she replied, "You think I'd be so stupid as to keep in contact with the Hokage?" She snorted. "You ANBU must be misinformed. Last I checked, the Akatsuki and Konoha aren't exactly allies."

"Indeed."

"So what do you want?" she asked warily.

"Where is your Akatsuki partner?"

"I'll ask you again, what do you want?" she bit out harshly.

A pause followed before he replied through the mask. "We are here to bring you back to Konoha."

Sakura's breath suspended in her chest as a chill ran up her spine. So this was what they were after right from the start. With her actual mission status a secret from the rest of Konoha, it should not be surprising. But why did Tsunade give this order to retrieve her? Was there something she was missing? Did Tsunade need her back in Konoha for something?

One thing was clear, though. She was not about to let him take her back until she found out more.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"I suggest you cooperate, Haruno. Our order is to kill all Akatsuki on sight. But you're to be returned alive for questioning."

Something was definitely going on in Konoha and Sakura was not sure she wanted to know. From the sound of it, it was possible that Tsunade had decided to abandon the original plan to catch the Akatsuki together in the same place. Sakura knew fully well what the alternative plan was. It was to catch the Akatsuki unawares and take them down one by one. That would explain why these ANBU were out here hunting.

But wait. This was ANBU Root, which meant that Danzou was the one in charge. But how had Danzou managed to slip this past Tsunade without her notice?

This changed things quite a bit.

If she allowed them to capture her, her mission would end. There was no way of getting back into Akatsuki after that because none of them would believe that she managed to escape Konoha. And if that happened, everything she had done so far would be wasted. She would not be near enough to keep Naruto alive if Akatsuki managed to catch him, not to mention Konoha would not know when Akatsuki would go after Naruto in the first place.

No, she had to make sure that Root did not capture her. However, it was easier said than done, as there were four of them against her. Even with full strength, she would probably lose.

'Think like that and we'll lose, Sakura,' Inner Sakura shouted. 'Show them what we can do!'

In a blink of an eye, she slammed her chakra-laden fist into the ground, creating a fracture which propagated swiftly till it reached the feet of those Root operatives. Unperturbed, they simply shot upwards, disappearing into the trees as Sakura substituted herself with a normal clone to get out of the way.

Willing herself to remain calm, Sakura peered out from the boulder she was hiding behind. Her clone was streaking away from the clearing and away from her, trying to distract the Root operatives. None of them made any move to go after her clone, which told her that they probably suspected the truth and was waiting for her to show herself.

Stealthily, she performed her eye-enhancement jutsu and in seconds, everything became sharper.

It was then that she caught a slight movement out of the corner of her eyes. Reacting instinctively, she leapt away from her hiding spot just as a rain of shuriken descended. A quick glance over her shoulders told her that one Root was now pursuing her, with another close behind him. She would not be able to outrun them, so she would have to fight.

With that thought, she spun around and executed a wind jutsu without pause, intending to blow them all off course. The two Root operatives lifted their hands in unison and in a fraction of a second, a wave of water shot out from the ground to intercept her gust of wind. The combined water jutsu was one of the most powerful she had seen.

Eyes wide, Sakura grew increasingly anxious as it struck her that these shinobi were not to be underestimated.

An arm shot towards her, seemingly out of nowhere. Sakura twisted out of the way just in time to avoid it. This opponent, a kunoichi, was different from the first two judging by the way she moved, more of a taijutsu than a ninjutsu expert. When the taijutsu master of the Root squad came at her again, Sakura swiveled on her foot to send a chakra-laden kick towards her. It grazed the kunoichi lightly but it was enough to throw her some distance away.

The ANBU Root who seemed to be the squad leader appeared to whisk his injured comrade away, but not before Sakura heard him say to the other two male operatives, "Don't let her touch you."

The two males nodded before they streaked towards her in unison, preceded by the rain of kunai. Sakura ducked the best she could, but it left her open. She wished she had enough chakra to use her bug clones. Before she knew it, the gleaming blade of a katana shot past her eyes.

Adrenaline rushing through her veins, Sakura flipped backwards. She managed to avoid the worst of the blow, but when her shin began to sting, she realized that she had sustained a cut. A surge of fury renewed her determination. She would not lose, she yelled in her mind as she deflected another swing from the katana with the back of her gloved hand.

But if she was captured, would the Akatsuki rescue her? If she was captured, would she ever see all of them again? Would she ever see Itachi again?

Why was she thinking of Itachi at a time like this? This was what he had meant when he spoke to her earlier, right? She was getting herself distracted by all this thoughts about him, Akatsuki and Konoha. She was getting distracted because she was conflicted between the two different sides. Her heart wanted to be loyal to Konoha, but it also recognized Itachi and Kisame as her comrades, if not more. When had it turned so bad that she could not even distinguish what she was feeling?

What was real and what was not?

What was real and what was simply an act?

She was not sure anymore.

But all she knew now was that she had to escape at all costs. Now that they have found her, these ANBU Root would stop at nothing to drag her back. And Tsunade would be so disappointed that she had failed to complete her mission while Danzou smirked in smug satisfaction.

Another rain of kunai headed straight for her and her chakra-infused eyes widened as she saw the other two ANBU performing lightning and water seals. They were planning to subdue her with electrocution.

There was only one thing she could do, but it would use up the rest of her chakra. Without it, though, failure was certain. Knowing that she had no time to debate, her hands came up immediately, and with a series of quick seals, she released her new jutsu.

"Fuuton: Kaze-no-Gosunkugi!"

The wind around her picked up abruptly, bringing loose earth with it before it shot outwards in a heavy thrust. It was not as powerful as it should be, but it was the best she could do at the moment considering her chakra depletion. Cracking sounds rend the air as the nearby trees were snapped into half, and then went flying towards the four ANBU Root, hitting them as they tried to escape.

The silence after the attack was deafening. But that was not Sakura's main concern.

She could see one of the ANBU on his back some distance away, his leg twisted at an unnatural angle. That one was already unconscious, but where were the other three? Where were they?

Then a flash of black came out from nowhere, heading straight for her.

Her eyes widened in recognition as she twisted to avoid the shinobi's fingers. This was the one she suspected to be the squad leader, the only one she had not faced directly so far. Those smooth moves could only be the Hyuuga clan's trademark Gentle Fist technique. But it was not Neji, because Neji was much taller, not to mention he could not possibly be a part of ANBU Root. She cursed herself for not training with Neji or any other Hyuuga while she had been preparing for this infiltration mission. She was at a severe disadvantage here.

Struggling to maintain her speed against the abnormally fast Hyuuga, Sakura darted from one side to another. Her eye technique was the only thing which allowed her to react fast enough. Otherwise, she would have been subdued long ago.

The familiar hiss of kunai slicing through the air behind her momentarily drew her attention, and she flipped up in the air to avoid it. Unfortunately, that moment of distraction was enough for the Hyuuga to find an opening.

She tensed as his fist reached her.

A choked cry burst from her lips at the contact with the middle of her chest. She crashed painfully down onto the ground and immediately clutched her hands to her chest, knowing instantly that her chakra circuits were disrupted. Gritting her teeth, she searched for her medical chakra in an attempt to heal herself. Many pathways were blocked, but she finally found one which worked.

Unfortunately, before she could do anything to heal herself, the remainder of the Root squad was upon her. She grimaced when a kunai flew through her palm, pinning her right hand to the ground while the Hyuuga disabled the chakra pathways in her legs. All three ANBU were now standing around her.

"Surrender, Haruno. You know you don't stand a chance," the Hyuuga squad leader said icily.

"Go to hell!" she spat. "I'm not surrendering and I'm not going back to Konoha!"

"Surely it wouldn't matter if you returned to Konoha, would it?"

Her blood froze as her earlier suspicion came back to her. He was fishing for information. ANBU Root would not know that she was a spy. No one was supposed to know apart from Tsunade, Kakashi and Shikamaru. And considering Tsunade's distrust towards Danzou, it was not likely that she would confide in him.

So this whole thing must be some sort of sick trick orchestrated by someone. But whatever it was, she was not about to fall for it.

Sakura glared at him out of narrowed eyes as she forcibly tore the kunai out of the ground. The kunai had pierced clean through her hand and the pain was excruciating but she tried to blank it out. Showing weakness at this moment was not an option.

"Who gave the order?" she hissed.

The Hyuuga leaned over her. "We're not at the liberty to tell. But it doesn't matter, surely."

His words confirmed her suspicion. "You see, I want to-"

She broke off suddenly, overcome by the stab of pain in her chest. Doubling over, she coughed painfully, to find that spurts of blood followed every hack. This was not good, she thought worriedly. At the rate she was going, she would be captured and dragged back to Konoha for sure.

Before she could think of a plan to get out of this, all of a sudden, the ground shook with a powerful explosion. She immediately brought her hands up, shielding herself from the flying debris.

What the hell?!

Then she opened her eyes to the familiar view of black cloak decorated with red clouds. Lips parting in astonishment, her gaze traveled upwards until it landed on a blonde ponytail.

"Ah, another Akatsuki," the Hyuuga murmured.

"Deidara?" she choked out weakly.

"What the hell is going on, Sakura?" he asked in a harsh tone, his hardened gaze not leaving the three ANBU.

"I was on my way to find you two. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Tobi went to get the payment and you didn't turn up. So I came, yeah."

It was not as if she was ungrateful that he was there, but he had just finished his mission and like her, he was probably low on chakra. Not the best combination when it came to fighting the Konoha ANBU Root. She wanted to tell Deidara to get the hell out of there, but she also knew that he was her only hope right then. She was about to warn him about their strengths when another bout of coughing prevented her from doing so. To her alarm, more thick red blood spurted out of her mouth with each hacking sound. She did not have to be a medic to know that her condition was growing worse.

Deidara cursed under his breath. "Don't die on me, yeah."

"As if," she managed to mutter.

"So heal yourself." He took a step towards the wary ANBU squad. "I'll take care of them, yeah. Show them what real art is."

She would have rolled her eyes if the situation was not so severe. Deidara and his art might actually save her this time, she thought wryly.

"Can you get us out of here?" she asked him quietly as she pressed a hand to her painful chest in an attempt to heal it.

Flicking a quick glance down at her, a maniacal grin appeared on his face. "Just watch," he instructed, reaching both hands into his clay pouches.

The Hyuuga took a step forward. "Deidara, explosives expert."

"Yeah, what are you going to do about it?" the blonde Akatsuki retorted as his hands moved within his clay pouches.

"I'll do what I'm instructed to do."

"Konoha dogs," Deidara sneered.

Deidara withdrew his hands and the next thing Sakura knew, the three masked shinobi were upon him. Then a series of sharp explosion sounded amidst a blinding white flash which forced her to avert her eyes. With a gasp, she snapped her attention back to find that Deidara had moved a far distance away, leading the ANBU away from her.

What the hell was he doing? Wide-eyed, she continued to watch as Deidara led them in what appeared to be a pointless taijutsu dance. But she knew Deidara well enough to guess that he had something planned.

Her suspicion was confirmed when another series of explosions rocked the earth, forcing the three remaining ANBU to group closer.

"Now let me show you the masterpiece!" Deidara exclaimed with a loud bark of laughter as he flung his arms forward.

Sakura's eyes widened in alarm. He was too close to his targets!

A loud crack sounded, shaking the earth. This time, the flare was much more brilliant, spreading out between the trees. Sakura gasped as she turned away to avoid staring into the light with her chakra-enhanced eyes. The blast was one of the largest she had felt, the shockwaves rippling past her in heavy pulses.

And Deidara was right in the middle of it.

"Deidara!" she screamed when the pressure dissipated.

Her heart thudded wildly in her chest as she tried to push herself up into a standing position only to find that her legs refused to obey her. Desperation forced her flip onto her stomach and she began to crawl towards the centre of the explosion.

She should be concerned about those Konoha shinobi, ANBU Root or not. So why was she not searching from them to see if there was the tiniest chance that they might be alive? Maybe they managed to escape the blast; after all, she could not see them. She owed her loyalty to Konoha, did she not?

The questions flew out of her mind when she caught sight of Deidara's long blonde hair. Gritting her teeth in determination, she pushed herself forward on her elbows and knees until he came fully into view. When she reached his side, she saw that he was bleeding from the gash in his chest. The pallor creeping over his skin was alarming.

"Damn it, Deidara! That was just stupid!" she choked out, shaking him with her uninjured hand.

"Heh! Art's a bang, yeah," he told her weakly, his blue eyes opening slowly just to flutter shut soon afterward.

"Don't you dare faint on me, you big idiot," she scolded, desperately calling forth whatever little chakra she had left.

"N-never faint…" he faltered before his body grew limp.

Pressing her one good hand to the gaping wound, she forced her medical chakra into him, urging his damaged internal organs to heal. If only she could manage that much, Deidara would survive. But they had to get out of here, and neither of them was in any condition to move anywhere.

With the last of her strength, she tried to activate the distress signal, but before she could do so, darkness overcame her.

* * *

The sounds of flapping wings drew Itachi's attention.

Maintaining the jutsu, he flicked a sideway glance to see another familiar crow flying into the dark cave. This one also brought a message, one which Itachi had expected. It had been more than a day since the commencement of the extraction, after all.

He would have to leave soon, for the Suna ANBU had halted their attack on Pein. Or rather, they were too wounded to continue. How pitiful.

Deciding that he had extracted all he required from the hachibi into his seal, Itachi dismissed the statue using Pein's chakra. It would not do to leave any evidence of his chakra within the statue. Even if he checked, Pein would never know the identity of the one who had summoned the statue. And even if he suspected, it was too late for Pein to do anything because Itachi had already obtained what he wanted.

Straightening himself, Itachi stood up and walked to the mouth of the cave, allowing his eyes to acclimatize to the brightness gradually. He paused at the entrance, staring out at the mid-afternoon sky behind the line of forest beyond.

His vision was still reprehensibly blurred. Hence it was time to test the result of his patience.

Pressing a hand to the seal, he used his own chakra to execute the now-familiar jutsu, allowing a tiny amount of the hachibi's unique ability to seep out, merging with his body. Almost immediately, Itachi felt the thrum of power in his veins as the foreign chakra surged through his body. The fatigue he had felt from the last few sleepless nights washed away almost immediately, followed by the easing of the soreness of his muscles.

And most importantly, the hachibi's chakra went to his eyes.

Anticipation thrumming through him, Itachi deactivated his Sharingan. When the result became apparent to him, his lips tilted in satisfaction.

The hachibi's healing powers were now his to command.

Slowly, Itachi scanned the landscape before him. He was astounded by the improvement in his eyesight. He had lived with the disadvantage for so long that he had almost forgotten what it was like to be able to see clearly without his Sharingan.

His eyes would never trouble him again, now that he possessed a small amount of the hachibi's healing power. So little that no one would detect the absence from the statue. Even if they did, it would not be until the next time the statue was summoned, which would be when the kyuubi was to be extracted. By that time, it would be too late for them to do anything.

Itachi smirked as he glanced down at the seals carved onto the inner side of his left arm, concealed from sight once he pulled down his sleeve. It had taken some effort, but the hachibi's healing powers were finally sealed within him.

His eyes narrowed.

Now that his weakness was eliminated, there was only one more thing left for him to do. And in order to do so, he would wait until Madara regained his strength from the kyuubi. Itachi would only fight the other Uchiha at full power, to test his strength against the one rumored to be one of the most powerful shinobi.

And he would succeed.

The flash of his Akatsuki ring caught his attention, and for a brief moment, Itachi wondered if he had been found out. Dismissing the notion as improbable, he schooled his features into his usual impassive mask and reactivated his Sharingan before he acknowledged Pein's call.

Moments later, the projection of the Akatsuki leader appeared before him.

"Itachi," Pein greeted as his eyes swept over the surroundings suspiciously. "Where are you?"

"On my way back from Fire Country."

Pein frowned. "Why are you here alone, Itachi?"

"I had matters to attend to."

"I see."

Itachi deliberately paused before he elaborated, "I was gathering information about Sasuke."

"Your brother?"

"Aa. As you recall, he had been captured. I traced him to Konoha."

Pein inclined his head once. "I see."

Knowing that Pein would not contact him this way just to check up on him, Itachi asked, "What brings you here?"

"It is about Sakura and Deidara."

Itachi instantly felt a twinge of annoyance. The last time Deidara and Sakura had been together alone, he had found them in a disturbingly compromising position. Was Pein trying to tell him that something else had occurred between those two?

"What of them?" Itachi asked coldly.

"Kisame found them unconscious the night before yesterday. He brought them back to the Lightning Country stronghold."

Itachi tensed at Pein's unexpected words. "Unconscious?" he prompted slowly.

Pein nodded. "They are badly injured. Kisame said the entire area is flattened by what appeared to be one of Deidara's high-level explosives. He can't tell if there was anyone else there."

"Those injuries were from the explosives?"

"Deidara seems to be, but Kisame said that it looks like he's partially healed. Sakura's wounds are different, according to Kisame. No one knows because both of them still haven't regained consciousness."

It had been almost two days and they were still unconscious? An odd feeling came over him then. Would the kunoichi survive this? None of them were medics and therefore were not capable of healing her or Deidara.

"What happened?" Itachi asked.

"Most likely an ambush."

Itachi frowned thoughtfully. Who could have been strong enough to ambush two Akatsuki? On the other hand, since this had happened just after the end of their missions, it was likely that both of them were still low on chakra when it occurred. But where was Tobi during the ambush?

"You need to check on them, to see how severe the situation is." Pein's instruction left no doubt that it was to be obeyed. "We cannot afford to lose anymore members at this crucial time, let alone two."

"Aa."

"Another thing, Itachi." Pein expression went dark. "Watch your back. It looks like the Akatsuki is being targeted. Konan and I were ambushed by Suna's ANBU around the same time as the attack on Deidara and Sakura."

Itachi kept his expression impassive, knowing that the two incidences were completely unrelated. The timing of the attack on Deidara and Sakura must be simply a coincidence, for Itachi knew nothing about it. However, there was a small chance that attack was a planned ambush in the first place. If that was the case, who was behind it?

"The attack on Bird Country. Do you have a suspect?" Itachi asked quietly.

Pein's expression turned grim. "No." After a short pause, he added, "However, considering Sakura's current condition, I'm inclined to believe that she is not the spy."

"Perhaps the ambush was not planned."

"Suna had sent too many highly skilled shinobi for it to be a routine operation. Not to mention we do not know who had attacked the other two."

"Hm."

"Go back to Lightning Country base and see what you can find out from the two of them. In the meantime, Konan and I are laying low, so do not contact us unless it is urgent. Just continue with the missions until you're contacted."

"Understood."

With that, Pein's projection dissipated out of sight, leaving Itachi alone again. Only then did the Uchiha relax his tautened muscles. Questions began to run through his mind again. What could have possibly happened to those two? Who could have been strong enough to bring both Deidara and Sakura down? And why did they not signal the rest for assistance?

Finally deciding that he would not arrive at an answer without speaking to them, Itachi began to make his way east, heading back towards their base.

The journey took him almost a whole day, even though he travelled non-stop from the south-western edge of Lightning Country. When he finally arrived, he pushed the door open only to be greeted by a weary-looking Kisame standing at the entrance lobby.

The Mist shinobi went straight to the point. "I left them in their bedrooms, Itachi-san. You should check on them."

"Aa."

Following Kisame up the stairs into the hallway which led to the bedrooms, Itachi paused. "You saw nothing around them?"

"Only explosion debris. Nothing identifiable." Pressing his eyes with the heels of his hands, the Mist shinobi declared, "I'm going to sleep, now that you're here."

Itachi nodded and went to the first room. Opening the door to step in, he paused at the threshold and swept his gaze over Deidara's pale form, pausing briefly at the bloodstained bandages around his chest, obviously put together by Kisame. From what Itachi could tell, Deidara was not in any danger of dying anytime soon. But the fact that he was still unconscious meant that his body had sustained a great damage.

Exiting the room, he went to the one closer to his own and walked in. Sakura was asleep under a light blanket, both her hands thickly bandaged. It was clear from that that she had utilized her chakra-enhanced punches repeatedly. There were no other signs of bleeding on the rest of her body, but he suspected that her injuries were internal. He was unsurprised to find that her chakra was severely depleted, but he was surprised when he sensed that her chakra pathways were disrupted.

Itachi wondered what type of shinobi they had encountered. Shinobi of certain bloodline limits, such as the Hyuuga, possessed the skill to do disrupt chakra pathways. From Sakura's current state, it appeared as if their opponents were either highly skilled, or Sakura and Deidara were outnumbered.

He looked at his palm, and wondered if the healing chakra he had taken into his own body would act as well out of it. If it worked, the bijuu's healing powers would certainly help the kunoichi.

When he realized just what he was considering, Itachi curled his fingers into tight fists. Such an act would be foolish, as it carried a high risk of exposure. He was not a medic-nin, and therefore no one would expect him to be able to heal.

His lips tightened as his gaze landed on the pale features of the kunoichi. She had brought this upon herself. If she had not run off, she wouldn't have encountered enemy forces which she could not handle.

And since that was the case, she should be left to fend for herself.

If she did not survive, then it simply meant that she was too weak to deserve to live.

So why was he still standing there staring at her?

What was the reason behind this hesitation?

* * *

Sakura peeled her eyes opened with great difficulty, squinting at the shaft of light shining in through the window. Slowly, her surrounding became clear to her. She was in her room in one of their Lightning base but how did she get there?

A stab of pain coursed through her when she sat up abruptly, forcing a choked groan from her. For a moment, she could not remember what had happened.

Then it came back to her in a rush.

Closing her eyes, she laid back down on the bed, thankful that she was still alive. Someone must have found her and Deidara. Her eyes snapped open at the thought.

Deidara! Was he alright?

Pushing the covers aside, she swung her legs off the bed and grimaced when she realized that she was still dressed in the same old bloodstained clothes. Reaching down to the hem, she pulled her top off. Then she froze when she glanced down at herself.

It was odd. She had not healed herself, but the bruises she had expected to see was no longer there. If she remembered correctly, the bruises that came from a Hyuuga's attacks stayed for a long time if a medic did not heal them.

The sound of approaching footsteps reached her and she quickly finished dressing. Then the door opened to reveal a grinning Kisame.

"So the kunoichi finally decides to wake up," he drawled, stepping into the room. "Who's going to heal us all if you die, huh?"

Rolling her eyes, she stepped up to him. "How is Deidara?"

"Alive."

Relief coursed through her as she walked past the tall Akatsuki. And then she paused, turning around to face him. "How long was I out?"

"Three days."

Sakura blinked. She had healed fast considering how bad her injuries had been. "Who tended to our wounds?"

Kisame shrugged. "I did what I could."

"You were the one who brought us back?" she asked curiously.

His beady eyes shifted slightly. "Good thing I did, because you would have died if I didn't. Probably mauled by some damned wolves with all that blood spattered over the place. What the hell happened out there?"

A sudden warmth welled up within her. Despite his gruff manner, Sakura realized that Kisame had actually been worried. She knew him long enough to see it. Smiling inwardly, she stepped closer to him, and watched as his features twisted in confusion.

Then she hugged him.

It was a quick hug, but it left the Mist shinobi sputtering as he stared at her incredulously.

"Thank you for bringing us back," she said softly.

He blinked, and then appeared to recover his composure. With a snort, he said, "I'm not doing it again if you're going to stick your arms around me like that."

She grinned and then turned away. "I'll keep that in mind, Kisame."

A non-committal grunt sounded behind her just as she left the room. She needed to see how Deidara was doing. Since there was no other medic nin around, she hoped that his injuries were not infected or anything.

Pushing open the blonde Akatsuki's door, Sakura stepped in and her gaze landed on Deidara's still form. He was very pale, and there were bandages wrapped roughly around his torso. Kisame must have been the one to do so.

Bringing herself to Deidara's side, she called forth her healing chakra to inspect Deidara's condition. There were three broken ribs, a fracture in his left leg and some bruising of his liver and left lung. Those were the ones she had not been able to finish healing and that she could now heal easily. Settling down on the edge of his bed, she proceeded to do so without pause. As her chakra began to mend Deidara's injuries, she wondered once again just how her own body had managed to heal so fast without any medical treatment, for Kisame was sure not a medic nin.

The green glow surrounding her hands ceased when she was finally satisfied that Deidara's injuries were mostly healed. She let her eyes run over his features, noting with approval that his skin no longer looked as sickly.

Then she stilled when she felt a familiar presence at the door.

"You are truly foolish."

The sound of Itachi's smooth voice immediately made her tense. Gripping the hem of her skirt tightly to control her reactions, she continued staring at the unconscious Deidara while she replied dryly, "I'm sure you're going to tell me why."

Silence met her proclamation. He did not say anything, but she could tell that he was contemplating his response. Well, since he was not planning to answer anytime soon, she should really get away from him. Things tended to get out of hand when they were alone, as proven by their recent encounters.

With that thought, she scanned over Deidara's form one last time to assure herself that the blonde would be alright and then swiftly made for the door. Itachi's form came into the periphery of her vision but she kept her eyes fixed to the exit. Like the rest of them, he was not wearing his Akatsuki cloak, leaving his slim body clad only in his mesh shirt and shinobi pants.

Just as she was about the cross the threshold, an arm snapped out across her path, barring her from the door. Her entire body tensed with an almost desperate need to flee but Sakura simply stared past the arm to the hallway beyond. Why was he doing this? Could he not understand that he was simply making things harder for them?

"Let me leave, Itachi," she demanded tightly.

His tone was even when he responded, "I'm not finished."

"Then what is it?!" she snapped in exasperation.

"Who attacked you?"

That was not what she had expected him to say. She slanted a sideway glance at him to find him staring down at her with his usual impassive expression. What would he think of the ones who had attacked her? He had been in ANBU at one point in the past, after all. Maybe he could shed some light on ANBU Root.

"Konoha's ANBU Root."

Itachi's eyes flickered in what appeared to be shock, and then those crimson orbs turned unreadable. His expression told her that he was mulling over her words.

"You know something about them?" she prodded.

"Hm."

"What?"

"ANBU and ANBU Root operate under different commands."

Sakura nodded. "Danzou is in charge of Root."

"Aa." After a brief pause, he added, "Root was abolished, but still secretly active under Danzou. He deploys operatives as hunter-nins."

Her lips twisted. "So I guess Konoha must have had enough of me running free."

"There were four?"

"Yes," Sakura affirm, unsurprised that Itachi knew. He had been higher up on the shinobi ladder before he escaped.

"Who?"

Her brows furrowed. "One was a Hyuuga, but I don't know about the other three. Why do you want to know?"

"Pein suspects the Akatsuki is being targeted. I merely wish to know the skill of those I might encounter."

"Well, you wouldn't really know until they attack, with their masks and all."

"Perhaps."

An odd silence stretched out between them. She was surprised that they had managed a 'normal' conversation this time, but she was growing quickly self-conscious at the way he was studying her so intently.

Averting her eyes, she declared crisply. "If that's it, I'd better go."

"Where?"

Her jaw dropped as her eyes snapped up to his. Did Itachi just demand to know where she was going? Her hackles rose at his arrogance. Just who did he think he is? Wait, was that a hint of amusement in his eyes?

"That, I believe, is none of your business," she responded curtly.

"Perhaps." Then a smirk crossed his lips before he added, "Perhaps I'm under orders to observe you."

She blinked at him incredulously. Was he being serious? Or was he actually making a joke? Giving herself a mental shake, she tried to think of a way to get away from this irritatingly persistent Itachi. Perhaps she should bring up the one topic which seemed to always rile both of them up.

Or perhaps not. It could end in them doing something they shouldn't do, after all.

She settled for a neutral response. "Well, you're going to have to make your spying less obvious if you're planning to catch me doing anything suspicious."

He raised a brow, but said nothing to her words. Instead, he continued to eye her speculatively, the corner of his lips slightly lifted. Once again, she could not help but notice just how attractive Itachi was. Her thoughts were going in a direction it had no business entertaining, and Sakura quickly dragged her eyes away from temptation.

Conscious of just how awkward the situation could regress to, Sakura decided that she should speak to Pein as soon as she could. One way or another, she MUST change teams.She would miss Kisame, but there was no way she was going to put herself through the torture of working with Itachi.

Pinning a pointed glare at the arm across the door opening, she enunciated firmly, "Now perhaps you could like to let me through?"

She froze when he leaned down from behind. He so close to her that his breath brushed her right cheek when he spoke.

"I believe I asked you where are you going."

"I'm going to see Pein now, alright," she responded, straining to keep her voice even in the face of his disturbing proximity.

"He does not wish to be disturbed."

"Oh."

Her next stop would be Tobi then, assuming her suspicion was true and that the masked man actually played a larger role in the Akatsuki. But something told her that if she even mentioned Tobi, Itachi would insist on following. The Uchiha was suspicious of the other Akatsuki after all, probably for the same reason she wanted to get closer to Tobi.

"Why do you wish to see Pein?" Itachi asked.

Would he stop questioning her? Bristling, she flared at him, "And since when do I have to answer to you?"

"Tell me, Sakura."

His silky tone sent a shiver up her spine, and she had to forcibly clamp down to urge to reach up to him. Deciding finally to mimic what he had done in the past, she replied, "It's personal."

He raised a brow, continuing to stare at her. Unnerved by the intensity of his gaze, she dragged her eyes away. She really had to leave before she did something really stupid. With that anxious thought, Sakura called forth her chakra to her hands. Much to her relief, Itachi dropped his arm, saving her from having to force him away with her chakra-laden fist.

Without another word, she walked out of the door, desperate to keep a healthy distance between her and Itachi. This thing between was growing worse by the second, and if she did not do anything about it soon, she would implode from the stress.

She walked away until she could not sense Itachi's presence. Expanding her senses, she sought Tobi out. Detecting his presence outside, she quickly made her way down the hallway and into the grounds. The sky was cloudy overhead, but at least it was dry, she thought as her gaze landed on Tobi's lone figure. He was seated underneath a tree, staring into the distance.

"Tobi?" she called out as she neared him.

"Sakura-san!" he greeted cheerfully, waving at her.

Sitting down beside him, Sakura began, "I heard that you went off to get the fees from the contact. Did everything go well?"

"Yes, yes. Twenty-five million Ryou."

Sakura nodded. Then, carefully measuring her words, she ventured, "Look. There is something I need your opinion on."

Tobi straightened visibly. "Anything to help, Sakura-san!"

She nodded, and then prepared herself.

* * *

The last thing Itachi had expected to find when he masked his chakra and trailed after her was this scene. He had expected Sakura to project to seek Pein, not sit under a tree with Tobi. Why did she approach Tobi? Did she suspect that the masked shinobi yielded a far greater power than he was displaying? Did she know?

The wind carried their conversation down to him.

"What do you think of me joining your team?" Sakura asked.

Itachi froze at her words.

"You want to change teams? But why?" Tobi asked, sounding bewildered.

"I can't work with the Uchiha."

A stagnant silence descended upon them. Then, in a curious voice, Tobi asked, "Why?"

"It is unfortunate, but I'm… adversely affected by his presence."

Itachi's eyes narrowed in displeasure. Adversely affected? He supposed it was true if she allowed their attraction to affect her performance. However, he failed to see why she should allow it to do so. There was no reason why they could not be just as effective as a team as long as they keep troublesome emotions away from their interactions.

Tobi seemed to be surprised, for he took a while to respond to the kunoichi's proclamation. When he did, his tone was cautious, sounding less like Tobi and more like Madara. "I'm of the impression that you are professional enough to see past such things."

Another silence filled the air. The kunoichi was obviously mulling over Tobi's words.

Then she finally responded, "I'm certain that you only wish for the success of this organization's goals. So do I. All of us have a share of the profits after all. However, the situation between me and the Uchiha is standing in the way. It is better if you agree to this transfer before I go to Pein with the suggestion."

Itachi's jaw tightened. So this was what Sakura was after all along. Although this had nothing to do with the Akatsuki, the way she worded her request made it sound as if she was only looking out for the Akatsuki's interest. But would Tobi, or Madara, agree to such a thing? Either way, the notion of the kunoichi transferring permanently to the same group as the older Uchiha did not sit well with Itachi. Not to mention she would be even closer to Deidara if that was the case.

Itachi's lips tightened. He was not able to decide if he was more displeased with the former or the latter.

"Sakura-san… You like Itachi-san?" Tobi asked bluntly.

A shocked sputter escaped her, and Itachi's lips twitched in amusement at her reaction. Truly, one would think that she would have developed the ability to mask her responses after all these years as a shinobi.

"W-What? You can't ask me to answer something like that!"

"But you said you're affected by his presence," Tobi pointed out. "That means you like him, right? So why not stay with him. Maybe you'll end up with little babi-"

"Stop it right there!!" she practically shrieked in frustration. "Argh!"

"But why?" Tobi sounded bewildered.

Sakura released an exasperated groan. "Forget I ever said anything, Tobi. Just pretend this conversation never happened."

"I can talk to Pein if you want!" Tobi offered eagerly. "Maybe he'll have some ideas."

Itachi decided that he had heard enough. Pein would have no choice but to allow Sakura to transfer if the masked shinobi ordered it. Releasing the chakra concealment he had erected on himself, Itachi strolled out of the shadows, allowing himself to be seen. Almost immediately, Sakura tensed, even though she did not turn around to face him.

"Ah, look who's here! It's Itachi-san!" Tobi exclaimed enthusiastically as he stood up. "Guess what Sakura-san just told me."

Sakura jumped to her feet. "TOBI!"

Unperturbed by her words, the masked shinobi's attention remained on him. "She likes you, Itachi-san. Do you not like her?" he asked.

Itachi truly did not know how to answer the question. Tobi was playing on the role of the tactless, enthusiastic Akatsuki member convincingly, whereas Itachi knew that Madara possessed nothing of those traits, from what he could tell.

Knowing that it would appear odd if he did not respond, Itachi replied evenly, "I do not believe it is any of your concern."

"But it is!"

The pure conviction in the other Uchiha's tone raised Itachi's suspicion. Did Madara have a reason for wanting something to happen between him and the kunoichi?

"Why?" Itachi asked.

"If she's doing badly because you don't like her, then it's not good for Akatsuki. That's why she wants to-"

"Tobi!" Sakura interjected quickly. "Let's just forget it, alright? Honestly, it's not that important after all."

The masked man turned to her, his entire posture displaying his apparent confusion. "You changed your mind?"

The kunoichi sagged slightly, and then she waved a dismissive hand about. "Yeah."

Tobi shrugged. "Okay."

Directing a pointed glance at the masked shinobi, Itachi remarked, "Perhaps you would like to see Deidara. He appears to be regaining conciousness."

"Really!" Tobi enthused, swiveling in the direction of the building. "Then I'd better go."

"Deidara's awake? I'll come with you, Tobi."

"Sakura, I wish to speak to you."

Sakura's steps halted uncertainly. Then the masked shinobi was gone, leaving him and the kunoichi alone. It was about time. Now that he was assured of their privacy, Itachi pinned his eyes on her.

"You will not transfer to their team."

Her pink hair fanned out as she spun around to face him, lips parted and eyes flashing in outrage. "Who do you think you are, Itachi? It's none of your business."

Itachi kept his expression even, even though he was growing increasingly annoyed by her avoidance of the true issue. However, if she wished to delude herself for a while, he would humor her. Eventually, she would realize that her actions were pointless.

"On the contrary. Your absence means that we are short of one member," he responded quietly.

"Tobi and Deidara managed with just two of them," Sakura pointed out. "Not to mention you and Kisame had been working for years without anyone's help."

"Hm."

"So it wouldn't make any difference," she insisted.

"Perhaps."

"So what is this all about?" she snapped.

He quirked a questioning brow, hardly believing that she felt the need to ask such a question. Was it not obvious enough for her? Perhaps not.

Not entirely certain how he should proceed, Itachi continued to study her thoughtfully, letting his eyes run over her flustered form until he reached her face. She shifted awkwardly and immediately averted her eyes, something which was occurring with increasing frequency nowadays. She seemed unable to hold his gaze for long. It displeased him, especially considering how relaxed she had been in his vicinity in the past.

Without conscious thought, he reached out and captured her chin in his fingers.

"Look at me," he instructed softly.

Her eyes flicked up, and he could see the uncertainty reflected in the emerald orbs. The tension between them grew thicker and Itachi found his gaze dropping to her lips. It seemed like a long time since he last kissed her and the urge to do so again surged through him.

"Itachi… don't," she choked out, reaching up to circle his wrist with her slender fingers.

He was about to act on the temptation but the pained expression on her face made him pause. A twinge of something indefinable pricked at him, something which felt suspiciously like regret. No, he never regretted, so it could not be what he had felt.

And yet, Itachi found himself unable to progress further, so he simply continued to scan her features. If he had to guess, he would say that she was angry and disappointed at herself. He supposed it made sense in an odd way, since she was clearly unable to put a stop to her attraction towards him despite her attempts.

Did she find the attraction between them so objectionable?

Why?

Much as he wished to progress their attraction to the next level, it was evident that the kunoichi was not of the same mind. Yet.

Annoyance coursed through him, but Itachi kept his expression impassive. Slowly, he allowed his hand to fall. Sakura's eyes snapped up to his just as he spun away from her to return to his room.

If she wished to be difficult, he would leave this issue aside until a later date. Besides, with his eyes healed, he had to work on the next step on his plan. And when that was resolved, he would return to the issue of this stubborn kunoichi.

Pausing in his steps, he glanced over his shoulders. "We will discuss this another time."

A soft gasp was the only thing he heard as he continued to walk back to the building.

* * *

It was only when Itachi had disappeared through the door that Sakura finally allowed herself to release the breath she had been holding.

What was that? A threat?

The mixed up stress and frustration of their last encounter gave way to fury. Who did he think he was? What gave him the right to turn her emotions upside down and then walk away?

Her mental rant stilled when something occurred to her suddenly.

He had been about to kiss her just now; she was sure of it. And then he had stopped. It might have been her imagination, but she could have sworn that for a moment, Itachi looked… guilty. Could that be why he had stopped, that he had sensed just how troubled she was by the entire thing?

Sakura bit her lips as her brows furrowed in confusion.

This was Uchiha Itachi. He was not the type to back down, and he had declared as much just seconds ago. But why? Why was he feeling so strongly about this? Could it be that despite all his adverse proclamation with regards to emotions, the stoic Uchiha actually felt something for her?

She cast her mind back to his attitude over the past couple of months. It had started with Idate. Now that she thought about it, his questions had seemed a little odd at that time. He sounded almost… possessive.

Then there was that time he had walked in on Deidara and her. Yes, he was definitely possessive at that time as well. Added to all his other actions, it was becoming increasingly clear to her that Uchiha Itachi was just as affected as she was, even though he seemed to be interpreting it differently in his mind. It was not surprising, really, considering who he was. Besides, he did not have the sort of reservations she had, simply because as far as he was concerned, they were on the same side.

From what she could tell, like her, it was too late for him to turn back. Whether Itachi realized it or not, he had invested some feelings in this… THING between the two of them.

Sakura slumped dejectedly. What should she do now? Itachi had feelings for her, so how did this change things? As far as she was concerned, it was still a bad idea for her to get close to Itachi in THAT way.

However, it was clear that running away would never work when it came to Itachi. So what was the alternative? Giving in to her feelings? Giving in to the attraction? It did not look as if she had any other option, as Itachi seemed bent on… pursuing her?

Yes. He was definitely pursuing her. And he was being so forward in that special Uchiha way that she did not quite know how to respond to it. He was behaving as if he had every right to do so, the arrogant man. Such as forcing Deidara out of the bathroom. Such as demanding that she remained in his team.

She had to admit that it was tempting to just give in. There would be consequences, of course, considering their relative statuses. There was no doubt that such a thing would not end well. But so many things in her life had not turned out well, and she had survived it.

Sighing heavily, she sat back down on the grass. Maybe she should just embrace this and when the time came, she would deal with the consequences. It did not look as if she had any other option anyway. The alternative was to continue fighting Itachi, making things even more awkward between them.

The moment she concluded the thought, Sakura felt as if a huge weight has lifted off her.

He had been the one to make the moves so far. So did she want to approach him this time? Did she want to take the first step towards something which would definitely end in heartbreak?

Did she want to take the risk?

* * *

A/N: So what do you think? I know what I'll do in her shoes, but do you think she will succumb to it? As always, it'll be great if you could review. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thanks to all your wonderful reviews. Without further ado, here is the next chapter.

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 23**

Morning greeted Sakura with the cheerful chirping of birds from beyond the window. A quick glance outside told her that Lightning Country was experiencing a rare sunny day. It was a good day to be out. Maybe she should find someone to train with. Someone like Itachi or Kisame.

Then her brows furrowed at the thought.

Two days had passed since she last saw Itachi; since she had begun to wonder if she should take the risk when it came to her feelings for the Uchiha. The passage of those two days had not brought her any closer to a decision as to whether she should do anything about the thing between her and Itachi. Her indecision was aggravating her to no end but she simply could not make up her mind.

It did not help that the Uchiha was nowhere to be seen. Both Itachi and Kisame must have left the compound together, for she had not seen the blue-skinned nin either.

Sakura rolled her eyes in exasperation. After all this time trying to avoid Itachi, she found it ironic that the moment she stopped doing so, Itachi decided to make himself scarce. She had been hoping to talk to him, thinking that it might help her with her decision.

Perhaps he had changed his mind.

Perhaps he had decided that the whole thing was too troublesome. The thought did not make her feel better. Instead, it made her feel positively deflated. Somehow, her reaction no longer surprised her. She had it bad for Itachi, and she knew it.

With a heavy sigh, she stood up and stretched. She might as well go check on Deidara to see what he was up to. The blonde was back in bed, recovering from the injuries from a new accident which had knocked him out yesterday.

Sakura's lips twitched when she recalled how Tobi had teased Deidara until the blonde cracked and released a small bomb at the masked shinobi. Unfortunately for Deidara, Tobi was swift in reacting, and had batted back the clay spider at Deidara just before it exploded. The explosion had caused Deidara's wound to reopen. She had been furious when she found out and after a bout of healing, she had insisted that Deidara remained in bed.

Sakura went through her morning routine quickly and then made her way down the hallway to her destination. Faint sounds of conversation reached her when she was about halfway to Deidara's room. Then her eyes narrowed in suspicion when the sound of their voices stopped suddenly. What were they talking about that they had to silence themselves at her approach?

Determined to get to the bottom of it, she went to the door and pushed it open.

Deidara was seated at the edge of his bed with Tobi standing nearby. She could not see Tobi's expression for obvious reasons, but the gleam in the blonde Akatsuki's eyes told her that something was going on.

"What are you two plotting now?"

Tobi held his hands up. "We're not plotting anything!"

"We were just discussing some mission, yeah. Tobi didn't want to go on his own."

Her brow lifted in curiosity. "What mission?"

"We were supposed to deliver the funds to an Akatsuki hideout." Pausing, Tobi gestured at Deidara. "But look what he has gone and done to himself, the idiot."

Sakura stifled a chuckle as Deidara glowered at Tobi. "Who's fault is it, yeah? You should have taken that blast like a man."

"Hey, I don't want to die!" Tobi protested indignantly. "Anyway, you're the one with the slow reaction."

"Shut up!"

"Whatever it is, you're not going anywhere, Deidara," Sakura told him sternly.

"And stop treating me like an invalid," Deidara muttered.

Frowning, Sakura told him, "You're not going anywhere until your internal organs heal. That blast yesterday ripped a hole in your liver."

Deidara grimaced. "Save the details, yeah."

"I saw it when Sakura was healing it, Deidara-senpai. Your liver… it was-"

"Shut the hell up, Tobi!" Deidara snarled.

Sakura rolled her eyes. For someone who injured himself so regularly, Deidara was sure squeamish about the details of his internal bits. Deciding to give him a quick check up, she reached down and lowered the cover which obscured his torso from her view.

"Like what you see, hm?" Deidara asked cheekily.

Suppressing the urge to smack him, Sakura muttered, "I've seen better."

Behind her, Tobi gasped. "You mean Itachi? Is Itachi better?"

Eyes bugging, Sakura spun around quickly. "No!" she denied heatedly.

"He's worse than Deidara?" Tobi enquired, sounding puzzled.

"That's not what I meant!" Sakura protested shrilly, wondering just how did the conversation degenerate to a discussion about Itachi's chest, of all things.

As Deidara laughed out loud, Tobi scratched his chin under the mask, muttering, "So you haven't seen Itachi's chest?"

"Of course I have!" Then realizing just how she sounded, Sakura quickly rectified, "I've healed his injuries, haven't I?"

"We get it, Sakura," Deidara interjected, still chuckling, and occasionally grimacing at the pain. "You make it too easy to tease you sometimes, yeah."

Embarrassed by the entire thing, she turned her attention back to Deidara's chest. Placing her hands on it, she inserted her chakra into his body to inspect the condition of his wound. It seemed that it was healing as it should.

"So what are we going to do about the mission?" Tobi asked, fidgeting slightly. "Pein will expect it to be there by tomorrow."

"Can't you do it alone?" Sakura asked the masked man.

Tobi held up his hands. "Need my ring to do it."

She frowned at his ring-less fingers. "What happened to your ring?"

"Dropped it somewhere. Have to find it," he replied absently.

Something did not sound right. Tobi never let that ring out of his sight, so why should he be so relaxed about the fact that he had lost it now? It was not something that would be easy to replace. Pein surely would be angry, not that Tobi seemed bothered. It kind of reiterated to her that Tobi was not as simple as he seemed.

That, in turn, reminded her that she should be attempting to get on his good side.

"I'll do the mission for you," she offered.

Tobi turned to her, his entire body shaking slightly. "Really?! That's very kind of you, Sakura-san."

She waved a dismissive hand about. "So what is it I have to do?"

Deidara was the one to answer this time. "The hideout is in the south coastal line of Lightning Country." Turning to Tobi, he asked, "Where are the keys?"

Tobi fumbled in his pockets for a moment before he produced two small hexagonal stones, one green and one red. Extending them towards her, the masked shinobi said, "You'll need this to unlock the passageways."

"Passageways?" she echoed, growing slightly concerned.

"The hideout is made up of a series of underground caverns, yeah. A bit like a maze, but you should be alright. Just follow your ring. It will lead you to the right cavern," Deidara elaborated.

"Sounds like you've been there before."

Deidara shrugged. "Once or twice."

Pressing a small piece of paper which looked like a map into her hand, Tobi gestured to the door. "You'd better hurry, Sakura-san. Or you'll be late!"

Rolling her eyes as she walked to the door, Sakura muttered, "You weren't in so much of a hurry five minutes ago."

Leaving the room, Sakura returned to her own room. The trip should not take long, two days at the most but it was best that she packed light. After all, she did not want to be weighed down if she had to run away from hunter-nins.

Once packed, she made her way out of the Akatsuki compound. Hours passed as she made a steady progress southwards through Lightning Country without any interference. It was already dark by the time she caught sight of the shimmer in the distance, signaling that she was close to the southern coast of Lightning Country.

Deciding that she should rest for the night before continuing the mission, Sakura found a secluded spot on the rocky cliff, protected from the worst of the wind by a number of trees. Seated on a log, she stared out into the horizon, watching the reflection of the crescent moon on the surface of the sea. Being so close to the sea alone reminded her of how she had celebrated her eighteenth birthday almost a year ago. In a couple of months, she would be nineteen. Would she celebrate her birthday alone this year?

She grinned as she wondered what was Akatsuki's policy on such frivolous celebration. Then her mood dampened as something else occurred to her. The thought of celebrating such a thing with those missing-nins should really disturb her, but to her chagrin, she found that it was not such an unacceptable idea.

She could just see Kisame and Deidara getting drunk and mouthing insults at each other while Itachi watched on in amusement. Tobi would join in with the insults of course, and that might earn him a few bruises from Deidara. In fact, the idea of celebrating things with her Akatsuki teammates was not that different from celebrating it with her Konoha comrades.

She could not believe something like that had just crossed her mind. If Tsunade knew, she would dump her straight into one of the basement holding cells and throw away the key. Or worse, never allow her back into Konoha.

Come to think of it, it was time for her to send a message to her shishou.

Biting her lips in guilt, Sakura sat up and stared down at her hands. She had been so preoccupied with Itachi that she had neglected to watch out for a chance to contact Tsunade. But then again, she did not have anything to report until now.

Taking a deep breath, she made herself comfortable on the cliffside and performed the familiar seals. Once complete, she composed her message to Tsunade.

_"Ambushed by Root in Lightning. Questions from Hyuuga Root operative angling for something. Caution required. No news on Ninth. Still watching and listening."_

That should be clear enough for Tsunade. Hopefully she would keep a closer eye on Danzou.

* * *

From his vantage point on the rocky cliff, Itachi gaze landed on the sea beyond. He knew from experience that the water was frigid at this time of the year, therefore he was thankful that the hiding place was not somewhere underwater this time. His eyes traveled over the undulating landscape until he saw a slight protrusion on the gravel beach in the distance.

That should be the access point.

He and Kisame had returned to their base in Lightning Country this morning only to be instructed to carry out another mission. This time, it was an Akatsuki mission, not one of the fund-raising ones. Pein's orders, Tobi had said, was for them to split the mission funds to different parts of the country for additional security.

Itachi frowned. He could not understand why Pein found it necessary to do such a thing. Their Lightning Country base was secure enough, as far as Itachi was concerned. What puzzled him further was how Pein had divided him, Kisame and Sakura up for their respective Akatsuki missions. He could not help but wonder if this was Tobi's doing instead of Pein's. But why would the disguised Uchiha do such a thing? What was the benefit of separating the three of them?

He had to admit that it was not so much the split that bothered him, but his reaction when he realized that he would not be seeing a certain kunoichi until they completed their respective missions. Even now, he did not fully understand the surge of annoyance which had flooded him when Tobi passed them Pein's message.

Finally deciding that it was pointless to ponder upon such questions at the moment, Itachi resumed his journey, swiftly crossing the rocky coastline until his feet touched the gravel beach. It did not take him long to reach the access point and when he did, he immediately clasped his hands together to perform a simple earth jutsu. His Akatsuki ring would ensure that he was allowed entrance.

A moment of disorientation overcame him and then Itachi found himself standing in a small, dark underground tunnel under the beach. He could hear the muffled rumble of waves washing onto the shore nearby, but he paid it no mind, knowing that the cavern was reinforced and protected with chakra. Using the direction of the glow of his Akatsuki ring as a guide, he navigated the maze of narrow passageways until he arrived at a wider area.

His Sharingan made out the outline of a hexagonal indentation in the stone wall in front of him. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a red hexagonal key and then slotted it into the hole. A flare of chakra lit up the cavern for a second, and then the stone split down the middle and slid apart, allowing Itachi to pass through into another cavern.

Just as the stone opening slid shut behind him, Itachi's eyes landed on another hexagonal indentation on the opposite side. He repeated his previous action, this time with a green hexagonal key.

Once again, the stone wall split apart to reveal a hidden entrance.

Itachi's eyes widened at the sight before him.

A flash was all he saw next. Reacting in reflex, he deflected a small glowing fist before it connected with his chest. Then a gasp sounded.

"Itachi?" the kunoichi exclaimed incredulously as she stared up at him. "What are you doing here?"

Without responding, Itachi scanned their surroundings suspiciously. There was nothing in the cavern except a familiar money pack and the two of them, illuminated by a small fire-tag. He could not help but wonder if this was simply an illusion. His Sharingan did not alert him to such a thing, however.

"Itachi!" she hissed, pulling her hand away from him.

He slanted his eyes towards her. The exasperation in her tone and the flare of chakra around her were too real for this to be an illusion, so this must be the genuine article. Why was she here?

"Sakura."

He took a step towards her and watched curiously as her eyes widened in alarm, her attention fixed to some point behind him. The choked cry that escaped her lips then was overshadowed by the loud grinding sound of stone against stone. Spinning around abruptly, Itachi caught sight of the stone slabs sliding shut, cutting them off from the previous cavern.

"What did you do that for?" she groaned, slapping her palm to her forehead.

He was somewhat puzzled by her distress. "Perhaps you wish to elaborate."

Obviously agitated, she threw her arms up in the air. "That door shuts once you're a certain distance from it! And there's something wrong with it because I've been stuck in here since this morning."

"It is meant to close," he pointed out levelly.

Scowling deeply, the kunoichi strode towards the door and pressed a green key into the indentation. Then she raised a brow at him pointedly. Unsurprisingly, the stone door did not respond, keeping still even though the hexagonal key was in the slot.

"See what I mean?" she ground out, planting a hand on her hip. "I tried it with the red one as well, but it didn't work. And none of the teleportation jutsu works in here either!"

Itachi stared at her blankly. How curious. Had no one given her the yellow exit key? It was a standard issue for these types of security system and Itachi was surprised that someone had neglected to give her the correct key to allow her to exit the caverns.

Was it deliberate?

Assessing his own situation and Sakura's, the only conclusion Itachi could come up with was that Pein wished for him to find Sakura here alone. Perhaps Pein wanted for him to interrogate her to make sure that she was really not the spy in Akatsuki. Spy or not, Itachi had no intention of wasting his time doing such a thing.

The other possibility was that this entire situation was orchestrated by Tobi and Deidara for their amusement. It was feasible, since Itachi had not spoken to Pein and thus, did not know if the instructions truly came from the Akatsuki leader.

Itachi had a feeling that it was the latter.

* * *

Sakura sighed heavily as she sank back down onto the cold stone floor. She should have run out when she could. Instead, she had been too shocked to see Itachi to react. And now, they were both trapped in this dark little cavern with no source of light except for her little fire tag which would burn out anytime soon. Well, at least Itachi was a master at fire techniques.

"Why are you here, Sakura?"

She inclined her head at the pack beside her. "Pein wanted the funds delivered here. Tobi said he couldn't do it, so I volunteered to help." Then, looking up at him, she frowned in confusion. "Why are you here, then?"

Itachi's eyes flickered in an indecipherable manner. "It appears that we are here to provide amusement to others."

For a moment, Sakura thought that she had misheard. "Amusement?" she echoed uncertainly. "What do you mean?"

Instead of answering her, Itachi walked to the opposite side of the cavern and sat down, setting a pack which looked as if it contained Akatsuki funds by his side. Much to her irritation, he promptly closed his eyes and leaned back, his entire body relaxed.

"Itachi," she hissed. "Don't just sit there. We need to find a way out."

"Pointless."

She blinked. "Pointless?" she gasped incredulously. "Do you prefer to be trapped in here until who knows when?"

"We will leave when the time comes."

She shot to her feet and strode towards him. His attitude did nothing to assure her that everything was well. In fact, his relaxed attitude was aggravating her to no end. How could he just sit there so calmly? Crouching down in front of him, she stared at his face, willing him to open his eyes. But Itachi kept his eyes firmly shut, appearing to all intent and purposes to be asleep.

"Why are you being so calm about this?" she demanded irritably.

"It is pointless to do anything."

"Why?"

"You have been given insufficient information about this cavern."

She gasped in shock. "What? Why?"

This time, Itachi's eyes opened. To her astonishment, there was an unmistakable gleam of amusement in his crimson orbs. She almost groaned out loud.

No, not that look again.

She was immediately torn between the urge to run away or to launch herself at him. Come to think of it, was this not what she wanted yesterday? She had wanted to find time to talk to Itachi and now he was there, right in front of her. Not only that, they were both trapped in the cavern with no way out, leaving her free to 'discuss' things with him.

The only problem was, now that he was there, she found it impossible to broach the topic. What should she say? How on earth should she begin?

"You truly wish to know?" he asked silkily.

For a moment, she struggled to remember what she had said before. And when it finally came back to her, she nodded slowly.

"A yellow key is required to exit this cavern. I assume you're not in possession of such an item."

A disbelieving expression washed over her features. "No I don't have a yellow one! Tobi just gave me two, one green and one red. Why did he forget to give me the yellow one?"

"It is doubtful that he had forgotten."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You mean he did it on purpose?"

"Aa."

This was ridiculous! Throwing her arms up in the air, she cried out, "But I don't understand why he-"

She paused abruptly and her eyes bugged out as realization dawned upon her. No, it could not be. Tobi and Deidara could not have plotted to get her and Itachi stuck in here alone. But Deidara's convenient injury, followed by the supposed loss of Tobi's ring and then this missing yellow key were too much to be pure coincidences. Not to mention Tobi's unhealthy interest in her relationship with Itachi.

Her hands clenched into tight fists. She would kill them. When she got out of this cavern, she would hunt both Tobi and Deidara out and rip out their intestines and feed-

"Sakura?"

Itachi's smooth voice ended her mental tirade. He knew that they had been fooled, but did he realize who had done it? Wondering how he would take the news, Sakura slid her chagrined eyes to his.

"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly.

Come to think of it, how was she supposed to explain how she arrived at her conclusion without getting into the topic of their odd attraction? Wait! Why was she STILL so apprehensive about broaching the topic? Wasn't she supposed to resolve this once and for all?

She took a deep breath and began haltingly, "I think you're right about the amusement part."

He raised a brow, but said nothing.

Deciding to forge ahead despite the lack of response, she continued, "Tobi and Deidara plotted this, I think."

"Why?"

Sakura closed her eyes in defeat, wishing that she could just disappear somewhere else for a while. It figured that he would ask the most awkward question. Then she lifted her lids to find herself staring straight into Itachi's crimson orbs.

Itachi's AMUSED crimson orbs.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Was Itachi in on this as well? Was he aware of this all the while?

"I was not involved in this deception, Sakura," he suddenly declared.

She gaped at him in astonishment. How did he guess what she was thinking? Was she so transparent to him?

"Why, Sakura?" he repeated in his smooth tones.

The last thing she wanted was to answer that question. Heck, she did not even know how she should answer. What should she say? That Tobi had developed the urge to become a matchmaker? Feeling incredibly out of sorts, she averted her eyes and stood up. She needed some distance between them before she attempted this.

When she had placed a few feet between them, she muttered softly, "I think Tobi and Deidara are trying to push us together."

There! She finally broached the subject. It wasn't so bad, was it, she asked herself mentally. All she had to do now was wait for Itachi to respond, then she could start taking baby steps. At least they would not be going back and forth repeatedly like they had been doing for the past month or so. Then again, she supposed it was not really Itachi's fault. It was her who did not know what she wanted.

And even now, she was not sure if she was doing the right thing.

It was then that she realized that Itachi had not responded to her words.

She spun around to face the calmly sitting figure, her eyes shifting down to find him staring up at her with his usual infuriatingly blank expression. Soon, the anxiety she felt quickly morphed into irritation as Itachi continued to stare at her. Was he going to say something or not? She did not work herself up like this just so that he could ignore her.

* * *

He simply stared up at her, hardly believing that she had brought up the topic after running away from it for so long. For a moment, he wondered if it had simply been an unconscious mistake on her part. However, the brief, but expectant look she had just cast him told him that she was fully aware of her words and was now awaiting his response.

Impatiently.

Itachi smirked inwardly at her behaviour. After being so skittish about the attraction between them, the last thing Itachi expected was for the kunoichi to bring up the topic. But now that she had chosen to stop running, she was predictably keen for him to respond.

As far as he was concerned, there was no question of if he should proceed, only when.

At the moment, however, he was content to simply wait for her next move.

Shifting into a more comfortable position on the stone floor, he closed his eyes and began to meditate. Almost immediately, he felt the flare of fury reaching him from the direction of the kunoichi. Knowing that his inaction would force her into doing or saying something which would no doubt be interesting, he remained still.

A few tense minutes passed before he felt a shift in the air. Her unique warm scent reached him soon afterwards, making him feel strangely comforted. She had the strangest effect on him at times, he mused.

"Itachi." Her tone was brittle.

Slowly, he lifted his lids to peer at her through his lashes. As expected, she was clearly aggravated by the situation, as evidenced by her narrowed eyes and her pinched expression.

"Yes?" he murmured softly.

Her brow twitched as she stared down at him mutely. He could almost see the wheels in her head turning as she thought of a reply. The urge to pull her down to his side hit him then, but he refrained from doing so. For now.

"Is there something you wish to say, Sakura?" he asked in his usual quiet tones.

He watched as her emerald orbs flickered with uncertainty. To his surprise, he also detected a hint of fear in them, something which would no doubt manifest into something undesirable if he did not act soon.

The moment she made a move to turn away from him, Itachi reacted swiftly. In a blink of an eye, a bewildered, gasping kunoichi was sprawled across his lap. To ensure that she remained there until the matter was resolved to his satisfaction, he encircled his arms around her, locking her in place.

"Itachi!" she protested indignantly.

"Why do you wish to run away again?" he asked.

She stiffened in his arms. "I'm not running."

"Do not lie."

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

Deciding to encourage her, he withdrew one arm from her waist to raise his hand to her cheek. Brushing her skin lightly with the back of his hand, he studied how her face reddened in reaction. There was no hiding the attraction between them, no matter how hard she wished to try.

"Why do you deny this?" he asked huskily.

A long pause followed. And when Itachi thought that she would never respond, she finally murmured, "I'm not denying it."

He waited for her to continue.

She took a deep breath. "It's just that… I'm not sure it is a good idea."

"Why?"

"Because of who we are," she responded vaguely.

"What do you fear?" he pressed.

A beat followed before she responded. "How things will turn out."

"You think too much, Sakura."

She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I'm hearing that from you. Of all people, I thought that you'd be cautious."

"It serves no purpose to over-assess such a thing."

She exhaled loudly, and a puff of warm air caressed his cheek. "Maybe."

"Hm."

"So what now?"

He raised a brow at her.

Bristling, she gave him an impatient look. "Look, this is not the sort of situation I usually find myself in, alright?"

"Aa."

"That's all you have to say?" she demanded, growing increasingly prickly by the second.

Itachi was not fooled. He knew her long enough to understand that this abrasive attitude of hers was a defense mechanism. What she did not know was that he found this reaction of hers rather amusing, and thus, preferred to encourage it than to avoid it.

"What do you wish me to say?" he asked calmly.

This time, she glared at him hard. But before she could peel herself out of his arms, Itachi pulled her so close that his lips brushed against the lobe of her left ear. She froze instantly. The fact that she seemed to always react so strongly to his every move gave him an odd sense of satisfaction.

Smirking slightly against her ear, he murmured, "I do not usually pursue women, Sakura."

"A-Are you saying you're pursuing me?"

"Perhaps."

A choked sound came from her.

He continued, "Perhaps it is simply… persuasion."

She pulled back to stare at him, her eyes searching his intently. It was as if she was attempting to determine his sincerity. Oddly, he felt compelled to assure her of his intent, but he managed to stop himself from saying anything further. He was a missing-nin after all, and missing-nins could not afford permanent attachments, not that he was seeking such a thing in the first instance.

As he watched, her lips tilted softly. The hands on his shoulders tightened slightly when she said, "I guess we can see how it goes."

He nodded in concession. That was all he intended anyway.

Now that this was resolved, perhaps it was time for them to leave the cavern. If he was not mistaken, it would be dark in a few hours and he had no intention of spending the night in the cold, damp cavern, fire jutsu or not. Once they were out, they could continue their discussion in more pleasant surroundings.

Cupping her cheeks, he brushed his lips over hers. Ignoring her surprised gasp, he lifted her off his lap and stood up. The bag of funds was still resting on the stone floor, and Itachi decided that that was where it would remain.

"Come."

She blinked at him as she got to her feet. "Come? Where?"

"We are leaving," he informed her evenly as he strode towards the stone wall blocking their exit.

"How?"

Without a word, Itachi reached into his pocket and withdrew a yellow hexagonal key. Holding it up so that she could see it clearly, he eyed the kunoichi intently to gauge her reaction. His lips twitched when her eyes bulged, making her look like a strangled bug.

"You could get us out all along and you didn't tell me?!" she finally shrieked, staring at him incredulously.

"Aa."

She puffed up further in her growing agitation. "Why the hell did you do that for? We could have gotten out of here hours ago!"

"You prefer to forgo our… discussion?"

Her mouth snapped shut as she stared wide-eyed at him. Then, flushing a pretty pink, she pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I knew it! You were in on it! Trapping me in here to force me to-" she broke off abruptly.

He raised a brow. "What did I force you to do, Sakura?"

She averted her eyes. "Nothing."

She made to turn away from him, but he reached out to wrap his hand around her shoulder, preventing her from escaping him. The kunoichi was certainly an odd contradiction of shyness and aggression. Feeling much more amused than he recalled ever feeling in recent years, Itachi placed a finger under her chin to force her to look at him.

"Sakura."

Emerald orbs flickered uncertainly as they met his. Perhaps he should stop teasing her. After all, he did not wish for her to be discomfited enough to back away from her declaration. It had taken her long enough to come to terms with their mutual attraction in the first place.

"Let's go," he finally said.

* * *

Leaning against the side wall of Tsunade's office, Kakashi watched with one lazy eye as the ANBU squad reported on their progress. Each time they did this, Kakashi would tense up inwardly until it was clear that they had not found Sakura.

One could never be sure after all.

The message from Sakura had been a welcomed one, but not in terms of contents. She obviously found it difficult to send messages nowadays, and Kakashi was not surprised by that. Spies that managed to infiltrate an organization so deeply tended to find it harder to communicate as time passed.

As for Root, it was clear that Danzou was behind the ambush. Considering that Danzou typically instructed his operatives to eliminate missing-nins, it should not come as a surprise. However, the fact that the operatives had questioned Sakura was certainly something worth pondering over. In fact, Kakashi could not help but wonder if Root had anything to do with the spies Sakura had referred to in one of her earlier messages. He and the Hokage had been discussing it before they were interrupted by this ANBU squad.

"You're dismissed," the Hokage finally said to the squad leader.

Nodding in unison, the ANBU squad left the office as silently as they arrived, leaving only Tsunade and Kakashi there. Expanding his senses, Kakashi quickly checked for the presence of spies, and when he detected none, he turned to the thoughtful Hokage. It was time to resume their discussion.

"Whatever Danzou is planning, it can't be good."

Hands clasped under her chin, Tsunade nodded. "Our ANBU haven't detected anything suspicious, but that's not surprising. What about Naruto? He's safely out of the way?"

"Aa. He's with Yamato."

"No mention about Sakura since that week?"

Kakashi shook his head. "He gave in too quickly, though. I don't think he really believed us."

Tsunade scowled. "Well, Yamato would make sure the brat doesn't run off."

Kakashi refrained from saying that if Naruto truly wanted to do so, Yamato would be hard-pressed to stop him.

"Back to Danzou. He needs to be stopped," Tsunade announced grimly.

Kakashi frowned slightly. "You don't mean…"

Tsunade nodded curtly. "I'm afraid that's what we might have to do."

"There are repercussions to such a thing, though. The council will not agree to it," Kakashi pointed out cautiously.

The Hokage's amber eyes gleamed with determination. "Then we'll just have to make sure they don't find out."

Kakashi was uncertain that it was a wise idea to make such a move against Danzou. If the assassination failed, then the repercussions would be severe. Tsunade would come under attack for approving such an action against one of their own.

"Are you sure?" he asked slowly.

"Kakashi. I've thought about it for a long time. I'll leave it to you to research the issue."

Tapping his finger on his chin as he wondered how on earth he was supposed to progress such a thing, Kakashi said, "I'll see what I can do."

The sound of rapid footsteps reached them then, and Kakashi raised his eyes expectantly at the door until the visitor made her appearance.

Shizune strode into the room, huffing breathlessly. "Tsunade-sama!" she called out. Nodding to him, she greeted, "Kakashi."

Kakashi inclined his head in return.

"What is it, Shizune?" Tsunade asked.

"The Kazekage wants to meet."

"The Kazekage?" Tsunade repeated with a thoughtful frown.

"He wants to discuss the Akatsuki, amongst other things."

The Hokage nodded slowly. "Very well. Arrange for his visit then."

Shizune shook her head vehemently. "No. No! He's outside right now!" she exclaimed.

Shooting to her feet, Tsunade snapped impatiently, "Then why didn't you say that earlier. Invite him in and get him somewhere to stay. Where's Shikamaru?"

"I'll go find Shikamaru, but I think the Kazekage wants to see you now," Shizune said.

"The demanding brat," Tsunade hissed. "Fine, escort him here, and then go find Shikamaru."

Shizune nodded and then rushed out.

A thoughtful look appeared on the Hokage's face as she sat down. "I wonder what's so urgent that he couldn't just send a message. It can't be just about Akatsuki."

Kakashi shrugged. "Something confidential, perhaps. Or perhaps it is to do with the next chuunin exams."

"Suna is hosting the next one, isn't it?"

"Aa. First time in quite a number of years." Kakashi smiled, recalling how it had been more than ten years ago when he had participated in monitoring an examination in Suna.

"Let's hope that the genin are prepared for this."

Kakashi was about to respond, but he stopped when he heard the sound of soft footsteps which signaled the approach of Shizune and the Kazekage. A while later, taps sounded from outside and Tsunade called out for them to enter.

Shizune stepped in. "The Kazekage of Suna, Tsunade-sama," she announced needlessly before she disappeared back out.

Standing up and walking out from behind her desk, Tsunade inclined her head in acknowledgement.

Then Kakashi watched as the familiar redhead stepped into the office, his bearing regal and his stride confident. It was hard to believe that someone as young as him was able to run an entire hidden village, but all these years had proven that Gaara was a better leader than the previous one.

"Hokage-sama."

"Kazekage-sama."

They stared at each other for a long while, as if sizing each other up. Kakashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This happened so often that it was practically a ritual.

"What can I do for you?" Tsunade finally asked.

"I require… assistance," Gaara announced stiffly.

The slight reluctance in the Kazekage's voice did not escape Kakashi. He supposed this was to be expected. Gaara never came to them unless the situation was severe, which made Kakashi wonder what it could be this time.

"We would certainly help if we could," Tsunade said. "What do you need?"

"An ANBU."

Kakashi's brow rose.

"An ANBU?" Tsunade echoed incredulously. "I'm not certain I understand, Gaara-sama."

"I wish to… borrow… Uzumaki Naruto from Konoha."

This time, Kakashi's eyes widened. It was a well-known fact that those two shared a special friendship, but what could have happened for Gaara to wish to take Naruto from Konoha? This was most awkward because Naruto was the last person they could afford to lose sight of right now.

"I'm afraid Uzumaki Naruto is unavailable. If you wish to use our specialist ANBU operatives, I can offer you others."

Gaara did not budge. "It must be Naruto and no one else." His tone was uncompromising.

Tsunade frowned deeply. "You're putting me in a difficult position here. Surely you understand that at this moment in time, with Akatsuki running loose, I can't afford to expose Naruto."

"I will not ask Naruto to do anything I wouldn't do myself," Gaara declared firmly, his tone telling them all that he was not about to back down anytime soon.

"Then what do you need him for?"

"I'm afraid that is a confidential topic."

Tsunade's brow twitched visibly. "You trust this information to Naruto and yet you refuse to disclose it to me?"

"I have brought a team of my ANBU. They will remain in Konoha until I return Naruto to you," the Kazekage declared evenly.

Kakashi almost laughed at Tsunade's obvious attempt at controlling her temper. Gaara was so self-assured and quietly aggressive that even one such a Tsunade would find it hard to handle him.

"You are so certain that I will agree?" the Hokage asked dryly.

"It is a simple request, Hokage-sama."

"Naruto won't be available right away."

"I will wait," Gaara said evenly.

"Very well."

Gaara nodded. "Now that this is resolved, perhaps we could discuss the Akatsuki."

"You have news?" Tsunade asked, straightening in interest.

Kakashi felt a shiver run up his spine when he caught the malicious gleam in the Kazekage's green eyes. It was at times like this when one was reminded of just how unstable the Kazekage had been not so many years ago.

"Yes. I have news."

* * *

A/N: I'm going to apologize in advance because I know that it's unlikely I'll get the next chapter out by next week. I'm not feeling too well and I'm meant to be resting more. But I'll try to update as soon as I'm able to get something decent out. As always, please review if you could. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: As always, thanks for your encouraging reviews! Here is the next instalment – hope you'll enjoy it.

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 24**

Shadowy foliage sped past swiftly as Sakura launched from one tree branch to another. They had been travelling for a few hours now, heading back towards the Akatsuki stronghold.

It had taken her a while to get over the disgruntlement of discovering that Itachi had deliberately kept them in the cavern even after he realized that they had been tricked by Tobi and Deidara. But she had to admit that since their conversation, the tension between them had eased considerably. She had not realized just how strung up she had been until now, when she could travel beside Itachi without feeling as if she had to control her every little action.

They did not manage to travel far before the sound of thunder warned them of the approach of one of the infamous Lightning Country thunderstorms. Fortunately, the flickers of lights in the distance indicated a village, somewhere they could probably stay until the worst of the storm blew over.

She jumped down to the ground when the rain began to pour. Just as she was about to turn to Itachi, a sudden flare of unfamiliar chakra made her freeze. She instantly masked her own presence but before she could say anything, Sakura found herself propelled to the side, deeper into the forest.

Then she found herself on the ground, her back pressed against the base of a tree and long dark silky bangs obscuring her vision. In the background, she could hear the subtle sounds of hurried footsteps, telling her that a group of shinobi was travelling past where they had been not so long ago.

The tree bark bit into her back, but she barely felt it. To her surprise, Itachi's eyes were dark, his Sharingan deactivated. Her breath hitched in her throat as his onyx orbs scanned her features intently. It was so rare for her to see his eyes in this form. All thoughts of the passing shinobi also escaped her mind while she focused on the striking face descending towards her, framed by the silvery raindrops around him.

"Itachi…" she whispered almost soundlessly.

His warm breath brushed her cheek and her own breath caught in reaction to his proximity. Anticipation boiled as she thought back to the last time this had happened. Would he kiss her again this time? She did not expect him to make a move so soon after their conversation, but now, she found herself wanting it as well.

Then he hesitated just before their lips touched, drawing a frown from her. An inexplicable sense of impatience surged within her when he continued to stare at her, seemingly quite content to remain that way. What was he waiting for?

Finally deciding to do something about it, she linked her hands around his neck and pulled him down.

Their lips met softly, but to Sakura, it was enough to send delicious shivers up her spine. The first time they had kissed was something of an accident. Whilst it had not been an accident the second time round, she had been wholly unprepared for it. But this time, she knew fully well what was happening but the taste of Itachi's lips was just as unexpected.

Then she gasped softly when Itachi's arms wrapped around her in a blatantly possessive hold. A soft whimper rose from her throat as he deepened the kiss, delving into her fully. Idly, she noted that the rain was pouring down harder around them, and then her eyes fluttered shut as she gave in fully to him.

She did not know how much time had passed before she felt Itachi lifting himself off her. When he did, she opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of him staring down at her. There was a molten heat in the depth of his eyes, something she had seen before, but not as intense as this.

His eyes flickered once and then onyx bled into crimson. "Come. We have to seek shelter."

Sakura nodded, still feeling rather disoriented by their kiss.

Ignoring the thundering storm around them, she followed him silently as he led them to a nearby village. From the way he was navigating, she guessed that he had been there before. Idly, she wondered if it was an Akatsuki task that had brought him there in the past, or was it something else. Itachi was such an enigmatic character that it was difficult to discern his intent and purpose most of the time.

Frowning slightly, Sakura flicked her damp hair out of her eyes. Come to think of it, what did she know about the Uchiha except for the fact that he was in Akatsuki and he had massacred his entire clan? She knew nothing about his desires, or what was important to him. Not that it was surprising, considering his status as a missing-nin. In fact, he knew just as little about her.

So why were they so attracted to each other?

Her train of thought was broken when Itachi stepped through the entrance of an inn, bringing them out of the downpour. It was a three-storey wooden building with windows facing the rain-washed street, manned by a tall teenager behind the reception.

"Welcome!" the teenager greeted enthusiastically, his brown eyes flicking between the two of them. "You need rooms?"

"One room," Itachi intoned quietly.

Sakura's eyes widened as the teenager turned to retrieve a key. One room? Surely Itachi did not think that she was ready to... Her thoughts halted abruptly when he turned to her, his expression betraying nothing, and yet managing to convey to her that he would not do what she did not wish for him to do.

Another realization hit her then.

She trusted Itachi. It was something that was potentially fatal in her line of work but she trusted him.

And so she found herself following silently as Itachi went up the stairs in the direction of their room. It did not escape her notice that despite trusting him, she was still rather apprehensive as to what she should expect. It was not as if this was the first time they would be sleeping alone together, so there was really no reason for her to be nervous.

Right?

The sound of key twisting in the lock jolted her and her eyes snapped up just as the door swung open. Slowly, she stepped in. Like most inns in these small villages, the room was simply furnished.

She went to the window, remaining there until she felt Itachi nearing her. Her entire body tensed with a mix of anxiety and anticipation when she heard the soft rustle of fabric, telling her that Itachi was shedding his cloak. Quietly, she did the same and placed her cloak over the chair beside the window.

This was awkward, she thought. And Itachi's silence was making her more nervous by the second. What was he thinking? Was he waiting for her to make a move or something? What the hell was she supposed to do?

Suddenly, she found herself abruptly propelled into the bed.

Panic rushed through her as she muffled a squeak. What was he doing? Much as she trusted him, this was happening way too fast for her to comprehend. It was not as if she had not… experimented over the years, but those were nothing like what she felt for Itachi. Those had been lighthearted, playful things. And something told her that if anything were to happen between her and Itachi, it would be anything but light and playful.

Then her entire body froze as she caught sight of Itachi's amused crimson eyes.

"Sleep," he murmured.

Sakura could only gape at him, watching disbelievingly as his eyelids slid down to obscure those crimson orbs from her view. Did he just order her to go to sleep?

Then she bristled. How could he work her up like this and then promptly go to sleep like nothing had happened?

But nothing had happened, a small voice which sounded like a disgruntled Inner Sakura muttered.

Her brows furrowed in irritation as she stared at him, letting her eyes sweep over the ridiculously long lashes curving on his high cheekbones before they landed on his lips. Then something inside her melted when she saw just how… normal he looked asleep like this. Not that she really thought that he was truly asleep, of course. His senses were no doubt still fully alert, but with his eyes closed, she was able to peruse him freely.

Without conscious thought, she raised her hand to his face.

His eyes sprang open just as her fingers reached his jaw. She did not pull away, but merely smiled hesitantly at the Uchiha. He did not respond in kind, but she could see the slight softening of his expression.

"Goodnight, Itachi."

"Hm."

He shifted slightly and brushed his lips over her brow, drawing a surprised gasp from her. Before she could make sense of what was happening, he trailed down the side of her face to her cheek, finishing off at the corner of her lips.

The kiss had been oddly gentle, something that she did not really expect, Sakura thought just before she succumbed to sleep.

* * *

As the first rays of sunlight filtered through the gap between the curtains into the room, Itachi opened his eyes. The comfortable warmth around him was the first thing he noted, and the corner of his lips lifted slightly in recognition of the source.

He remained still while a feminine foot rubbed up and down his bare ankle. Cuddled next to him, Sakura appeared to be fast asleep while she snuggled against him like a kitten. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to indulge in her warmth and the feeling of her fingers clenching lightly on his hip.

Uncharacteristically for him, he had spent a rather innocent night with her, compared to what he usually did in the company of a willing female. Perhaps that was the issue. Whilst Sakura was willing to share a bed with him, it was clear that she was not willing to go further last night. Or more accurately, she had not been certain.

He found it rather amusing, albeit a somewhat frustrating. After all, it had been a while since he had enjoyed the company of a female. It would happen sooner or later, he was sure of it. Their desire for each other was clear and too strong to be denied. But last night had not been the right time to push for it, for it would only prompt the kunoichi into running.

She stirred slightly, mumbling something incoherent against his chest as she did so. And then her eyes slowly opened while Itachi looked on curiously.

Under his perusal, she turned a delectable shade of pink as her eyes flickered around anxiously. The kunoichi had spent the entire night fastened to him and now she was shy? Itachi did not know what to make of it. It was almost… endearing.

"Good morning," she mumbled, shifting slightly on his arm.

He curled his fingers around her shoulder, effectively holding her down. Her surprise was evident, but he ignored it. He simply did not want her to leave the bed just yet.

"Itachi?"

"Stay."

She blinked at him. "Oh. Okay."

For a long while, they simply stared at each other. Then Itachi shifted, placing his arms behind his head. The kunoichi's eyes immediately landed on the seal adorning his inner arm. She had been curious about it before and he had no doubt that she would ask about it again.

Tracing her finger over the seals, she murmured, "I've been meaning to ask you. What is this?"

"And how does this concern you?" he responded evenly, not making a move to remove her fingers even though her touch was sending small jolts up his spine.

She eyed him with obvious irritation. Snatching her hand away, she shuffled away from him. "It doesn't."

Smirking inwardly at her predictable reaction, he closed his hand around her wrist, pulling her back to him. A small sound of protest escaped her lips, and then she frowned at him.

"Let me go, Itachi. We got to head back."

"There is no urgency," he pointed out, pulling her fully on top of him.

She flushed at their intimate contact, her expression displaying her uncertainty. Itachi willed himself to remain still, for he was sure that the skittish kunoichi would spring off the moment he made any sudden movement. It was a harder task than he had anticipated, for he could feel every contour of her curves against his chest.

Would she be receptive to his advances now?

His eyes not leaving hers, he trailed a hand from her waist down to the curve of her backside. She inhaled sharply in reaction, but she made no move to escape him. Encouraged, he shifted up into a sitting position. Her eyes displayed her nervousness as well as an unmistakable desire, and then, to Itachi's surprise, her entire form stiffened.

In a blink of an eye, she was gone from his lap.

"I'm… taking a shower," she announced over her shoulders just before she disappeared into the bathroom.

Itachi smirked slightly. Her words could almost be taken as an invitation, even though he knew that she meant nothing of the sort. The kunoichi's innocence was appealingly refreshing. However, invitation or not, he was not about to ignore the obvious signs she had displayed earlier.

With that thought, Itachi left the bed and made his way to the bathroom. If he played his cards right, he would succeed in bringing the kunoichi closer to him this morning. If not, then he would attempt it again until she finally succumbed to him.

* * *

They did not make it out of the inn until just before the sun set. By then, the last thing Sakura wanted to do was to resume their travel. But she knew that they had to return, for they had been away for far too long.

As they headed back to the Akatsuki compound, she could not help but blush each time she glanced at Itachi. After what had happened earlier, she supposed her reaction was understandable. It was not as if she intended for it to go that far. It just… happened.

And she did not regret it.

She just hoped that he did not either. Now, with the moon high in the inky sky, they were almost back at the Akatsuki compound and she could not help but wonder if anything would change now that they were physically involved. Would Itachi wish to hide it from the rest of the Akatsuki? Something told her that Itachi would not care less what everyone else thought of it. The Uchiha seemed to operate pretty much according to his own rules.

Did it mean that they would end up sleeping together again? Her face reddened further as she recalled the heated look in his eyes as they...

"Sakura."

Startled out of her highly inappropriate thoughts, she jumped guiltily. "Huh?"

A pair of amused crimson eyes stared at her. "Curbing your… desire… may be advisable. The rest would sense it."

Her jaw dropped as she stared at him. Then, struggling to find something to defend herself, she sputtered, "What are you talking about?! There's nothing to curb!"

He slanted her a knowing, masculine look that made her itch to wipe the expression off his face. Only this was Itachi and Sakura knew that her fists would never make it anywhere near his face before he subdued her.

Before she could think of anything sensible to say, the fine hair at the back of her neck suddenly stood up on its end and she tensed in reflex. What was that flare of chakra she had just felt? It was so dark, so vile that she could not quite grasp it. But it was far enough away that it might be from some random Lightning-nin who was passing by.

Glancing over to her partner, she saw him wearing a thoughtful look.

"Itachi?"

"I will return in a short while."

It was at the tip of her tongue to ask why, but Sakura refrained just before she blurted out the question. Perhaps he wished to confront the unknown nin.

"Shall I come with you?" she offered.

"Return to the compound," he instructed absently. "I'll scout around."

For a moment, she felt a little disgruntled by his dismissal. Then she realized that whatever that had changed between them, she doubted that it included Itachi opening up fully to her. The caution that he wore around him had been instilled from a long time ago and she had to be deluded to expect him to drop it for her.

So she nodded. "See you later."

Itachi performed a transportation jutsu and in a blink of an eye, he was gone from her sight. Deciding that he would share what he had learnt if it was pertinent to the rest of them, Sakura turned around and continued her journey back to the Akatsuki building.

Soon she was back inside and climbing up the stairs to head towards her room.

Only to find herself faced with a familiar blonde in the hallway.

Her brow immediately twitched when she recalled his role in the cavern fiasco. How dare he do that to her? How dare he trick her like that?

"Look who's finally back, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed with a knowing smirk. "Good mission, hm?"

Sakura glared at the blonde. "You!" Ignoring the way Deidara's eyes were widening in alarm, she stomped towards him. "Where's the yellow key that you were supposed to give me?"

Deidara blinked innocently. "What yellow key? Oh…" Then he smirked as he reached into his pocket, and with a flourish, waved a yellow hexagonal stone in the air almost tauntingly. "This one?"

"Yes, that one," she hissed, hardly believing that he had the nerve to show her the key now. Deidara was really asking to be pounded.

"Ah, I forgot, yeah."

"You FORGOT?!" she shrieked incredulously. "You-"

In a blink of an eye, she was right in front of him, her fingers curled around his neck.

"H-Hey!" Deidara choked out a protest, his hands clamping around her wrists. "Calm down, hm?"

"Calm down? I'll show you calm," she ground out.

Eyes widening, Deidara gulped.

* * *

It had been slight, but Itachi felt it nonetheless. It was something that he had tracked for so long that there was no mistaking the malevolent presence of Madara. For a second, the elder Uchiha had let his guard down, let the disguise slip.

But when Itachi reached the clearing to the side of the Akatsuki compound, there was nothing to be seen. Perhaps Madara had another argument with Pein. It would explain the sudden flare of anger Itachi had sensed earlier.

Lips tightening slightly in displeasure, he turned away and began to make his way back into the compound.

A loud crash immediately greeted him as he stepped into the building. His eyes darted upwards in the direction of the bedrooms as his brows furrowed in puzzlement. The chakra signatures indicated that both Sakura and Deidara were up there. A twinge annoyance coursed through him until he recognized the signs of Sakura's battle chakra.

Curious as to what was happening upstairs, Itachi quietly made his way up until the hallway came into sight. Then his eyes widened at the view which greeted him.

Sakura and Deidara were fighting, but it did not escape Itachi's notice that they were doing so without their usual arsenal of jutsu. It was probably for the best, Itachi thought, seeing that they only had that narrow width of hallway to maneuver in. Already, there were a number of holes in the walls in the shapes of both masculine and feminine fists.

Knowing that this battle could not last for much longer, Itachi continued to watch silently from the end of the hallway as the fist-fight grew more intense. An odd sense of satisfaction coursing through him, Itachi smirked as Sakura's fist landed in Deidara's gut. The blonde's eyes bulged at the impact just before he flew backwards, slamming into the wall. Cracks propagated from the point of contact, spidering outwards most alarmingly.

It was then that Itachi wondered if it was prudent to stop them before they demolished the entire building.

Before he could say anything however, a breathless Deidara raised his hands in surrender. "I give, yeah! Too little space to fight here and I don't want to camp out in the rain tonight."

The kunoichi cracked her knuckles. "Then maybe you'll think twice about pulling something like that on me again."

Gingerly clutching his stomach, Deidara stood up and walked to his room. "Well, it's not my idea in the first place, yeah. And anyway, you and the Uchiha got what you wanted, didn't you?" He then directed his gaze straight at Itachi. "Didn't you, Uchiha?" he asked just before he escaped into his room.

Snapping her head around to see him, Sakura immediately reddened, much to Itachi's amusement. No doubt she was recalling their interaction this morning. And unsurprisingly, the thought of the very same thing brought forth the urge for him to be alone with the kunoichi again.

He did not know what he had expected, but certainly not the all-consuming pleasure he had felt when they were together. Something told him that if he was not careful, he would end up being addicted to her.

Huffing indignantly, Sakura spun around and walked away from Deidara. Smirking inwardly at her antics, Itachi began to make his way to his bedroom.

As they passed each other just outside his room, Itachi murmured, "You overreacted."

Her body tensed. Then, slowly, she turned until he was fully presented with her baleful expression. "What do you want me to do? Thank him?" she asked tersely.

"Perhaps."

Eyes widening incredulously, she gaped at him wordlessly.

Deciding to act while she was wavering, Itachi clamped a hand around her arm and in one swift move, pushed her inside his room. Ignoring her astonished sputters, Itachi closed the door behind them.

* * *

Two days had passed since she and Itachi returned from their so-called mission in the south of Lightning Country. With the Akatsuki mission complete, they decided to recommence their side missions.

After briefing Tobi and Deidara about their tasks, Sakura set out in the opposite direction with Itachi and Kisame, heading for their own target. The journey took them through the entire length of Lightning Country, through the muddy lands and the gloomy forests. But before they could reach their destination, the sun dipped below the horizon and the sky darkened. They finally decided to rest and recharge for the night and set up camp close to a river.

Sakura watched as Itachi left to scout the area, leaving her and Kisame alone in the clearing. The Mist shinobi had managed to catch some fishes and was currently in the process of preparing them. Glancing down at herself, she grimaced at the amount of mud she had managed to pick up during the journey. Deciding to take the opportunity to cleanse herself before dinner, she headed in the direction of the river.

As she passed him, Kisame's quiet snort stilled her. Slowly, with narrowed eyes, she turned back to look at the Mist shinobi only to find him smirking.

"What?" she growled.

"You two settled things from the looks of it," he remarked.

She flushed. Did everyone know about her and Itachi? Was everyone in on this little trick?

"I don't know what you're talking about," she gritted out.

Kisame shrugged. "Don't care, so long as you stop that avoiding thing between you two. It was getting annoying. Now at least I'll have some peace."

Embarrassed, Sakura flushed. Yes, she supposed that Kisame had been caught between her and Itachi quite a few times in the past. He was their partner, after all.

"Well, Shark-Face. I didn't think that you are so sensitive about these things."

He scowled at her. "It's not me being sensitive, kunoichi. EVERYONE can see that the two of you can't wait to jump on each other."

Sakura winced at his choice of words. "Everyone?"

"What? You think you were hiding it?" Kisame remarked incredulously.

She groaned inwardly. "Nevermind," she muttered. She would never win this debate because Kisame was right. "I'll be back in a while. Bathing."

He nodded and then promptly returned his attention to the fishes.

The river was close by, but she decided to head upstream further away from the camp to bathe. To her surprise, she found a small lake not far away. Glad that she had taken the time to travel further, Sakura began to wash herself in the crystal clear pool of water.

Finishing with her bath, Sakura dried herself and left the lake to make her way back to camp. She could smell the roasting fish and her hungry stomach demanded to be filled.

Then the sight of a large tree with a hollow drew her attention. Almost immediately, Sakura's eyes widened in recognition. She had forgotten that there was a pickup point in this area and now that she thought about it, it had been some time since she had inspected those points.

Expanding her senses, she checked her surroundings to make sure that neither Itachi nor Kisame was nearby. Satisfied that they were still some distance away, she quickly made her way to the tree and performed a revealing jutsu.

Then she bent down and reached a hand into the hollow.

Much to her surprise, her finger came into contact with a scroll. There was a message after all, she thought as she pulled it out. Staring at the unmarked scroll, Sakura could not help but shiver slightly in apprehension as she wondered what it contained. It must be important if Tsunade actually felt the need to leave a message for her.

Taking a deep breath, she executed an identification seal. In a fraction of a second, the scroll unfurled, allowing her to read its contents.

"Change of plans. Take out as many as you can and then return home. Do not delay."

Sakura froze as the meaning of the message became clear.

Tsunade wanted her to kill off as many Akatsuki as she could and then return to Konoha. Thus, ending… aborting her infiltration mission.

The whole idea was so alien to her that Sakura found it hard to absorb. She was horrified, even though she knew that she should have expected it. This sort of tied in with what happened to her a couple of weeks ago. Konoha must have decided to move on to the second plan, and Tsunade must have instructed the ANBU teams, Root or not, to hunt them down. This message must have been left before then, but she had simply missed it.

But why? Why the change of plans?

"Sakura."

She froze at Itachi's voice, and the words adorning the scroll instantly dissolved into nothing. Slowly, she turned to look at him over her shoulders to find him regarding her with his usual unreadable expression.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she stood up to face him.

"Picking up a message from one of my contacts," she fabricated.

"Hm."

Striving to be casual, she explained, "I have certain pick-up points for my contacts to leave messages." She shrugged. "I check them sometimes, and I just realized that there is one here. But this time it looks like I'm too late because the message disappeared when I opened it. So I guess my contact found someone else to do it."

His brow lifted slightly. "It is just as well," he remarked flatly.

She had to smile at his ill-concealed contempt at their side missions. "We have to get money from somewhere, you know," she pointed out.

"Hm." Without waiting for her to respond, he spun away. "Come, Kisame has prepared dinner."

She followed him back to the camp, where they spend the next hour finishing off dinner and preparing to rest for the night. Knowing that she would not be able to sleep anyway, she had volunteered to take the first guard shift.

Soon, with both Itachi and Kisame resting against their respective trees, Sakura allowed herself a heavy sigh. Tsunade's message ran through her head over and over again. What should she do? Her orders were clear, but what should she do?

Her eyes went to the two resting Akatsuki. To some extent, they trusted her. As much as a missing-nin could trust another, she supposed.

If she was honest with herself, killing Kisame was not impossible. Over time, Kisame had learnt to recognize her approach and had stopped jumping up in defense when she tried to wake him up for his turn to guard.

Her hands slid down her thigh to rest on her kunai holster. If there were only her and Kisame, she could always walk up casually to him and place a hand on his chest the way she usually did. Once her hands were there, it would not take long for her to force a surge of chakra to paralyze him. It would only take a few seconds and he would be at her mercy. A kunai through the heart would do the job. She would stab him between his ribs, and watch as his heart slowed. A wheezing sound would escape his lips while his beady eyes stare at her in disbelief at first, before it turned to condemnation.

Sakura's hand trembled as she dragged her eyes away from the sleeping Mist shinobi. Such thoughts made her physically sick. Her heart was twisting painfully in her chest that it almost felt as if she was thinking of stabbing herself. What was wrong with her? The instruction from Konoha left no doubts. If the opportunity arose, she was supposed to kill any Akatsuki she could get her hands on. This was her mission and she had to do it.

So why was she feeling the exact same way that she felt when she first felt the accusing eyes of her Konoha comrades? So why was she feeling as if she was betraying Kisame by thinking of how to kill him?

'You lived with them and laughed with them, spending the most fulfilling half a year of your life with them. They are your friends, your comrades, stupid! And now you're thinking of killing them?!'

Sakura stiffened at the voice in her head. As usual, Inner Sakura had decided to make her presence known in the most unexpected manner. Then her shoulders sagged as the words sank in.

It was true, wasn't it?

She had seen this coming but she had ignored all the signs. Over time, she had grown used to them, and grown to like them. But the most unsettling thing was that Inner Sakura was right. The time she had spent with the Akatsuki was the most fulfilling time in her entire ninja career. Pushed to the hilt, she had grown by leaps and bounds.

And personally?

Her gaze slanted towards Itachi and her heart twisted painfully. The thing between them had just begun, but she could already feel the impact it had on her. In time, if their relationship continued, she could tell that Itachi would become someone she would not be able to leave.

If he was not that someone already.

How could she even think of killing him?

* * *

Surrounded by darkness and the subtle sounds of nightlife in the forest, Itachi slid his eyes towards the kunoichi, noting the grim expression on her face. Something was troubling her recently, but it was clear that she had no intention of sharing it with him or Kisame. She betrayed nothing earlier but now she thought that she was alone, her mask crumbled and Itachi saw clearly that she was hiding something from them.

But what?

Could it be that scroll that she had retrieved earlier? The one she claimed to be from one of her contacts?

Or perhaps it had something to do with their growing attraction. Perhaps she was simply wary of being close to someone, the way he was. But that meant that she understood the circumstances surrounding them. She would never expect him to treat her any differently now that they were sleeping together.

He continued to watch as she stood up and walked towards Kisame. The Mist shinobi had his back against a tree, his head upturned slightly as snores escaped his parted lips. Despite appearances, Itachi knew that his partner's senses were so finely tuned that he would awaken in an instant with the slightest warning.

However, Itachi was not surprised that the Mist shinobi did not stir when Sakura approached him. Kisame's senses would recognize Sakura by now, after all. It would be highly inconvenient if they could not rest with each other in the vicinity.

Sakura called out his name quietly and the Mist shinobi finally stirred. With the usual grumbles, Kisame stood up and stretched before nodding for her to rest.

Itachi eyed the kunoichi silently as she turned in his direction. He could sense her hesitation, but it was brief, because moments later, she was walking towards him. As she neared him, he could see a small smile gracing her lips.

"Not asleep yet?" she asked, settling beside him. "I didn't do that bad a job guarding, you know."

He lifted a brow, but said nothing.

She shifted beside him, seemingly trying to get comfortable. The tension in her form was evident, telling him that there was indeed something wrong with her.

"Is there something you wish to say, Sakura?" he asked quietly.

She stared at him, surprised. Then she lowered her gaze. "It's nothing important."

"Hm."

She was obviously lying, but he decided not to press.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you're not a shinobi?" she asked suddenly.

Only this kunoichi would come up with such a question. "No," he responded firmly.

She rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised," she muttered.

"Then why ask?"

"I was just wondering, that's all."

He stared at her thoughtfully for a moment, wondering just how much he should say. Finally, he decided there was no harm in elaborating on his past. Besides, considering her relationship with Sasuke, she probably knew some of his background already.

"I only know the life of a shinobi from the day I was born."

"Your father wanted you to be a good shinobi, huh?" she remarked.

"The clan," he corrected, but still not willing to give away too much.

"Oh." After a short pause, she asked, "You were the Uchiha clan's heir, weren't you?"

"Aa."

"Why give that up?" she asked.

"Why tie myself down?" he asked instead. Why tie oneself down to the ideals of the clan, when one did not agree with it in the first place?

She shrugged. "I suppose."

Such conversations were not the norm for him, but to Itachi's surprise, he found that he did not mind it much. The kunoichi was not pushy, even though he knew that she was curious about his past. Strangely enough, he too, wished to know more about her.

But to indulge in such a thing was against their principles as missing-nins. Their statuses demanded that they kept information about themselves away from others for security purposes.

And yet, he felt compelled to ask, "Why did you choose to become a shinobi?"

An uncomfortable laugh escaped her then. "I'm not sure you want to know."

"Tell me."

"It's stupid," she muttered edgily.

He raised a brow at her.

"It was because of Sasuke," she responded in a grudging tone.

"Sasuke?" Now he was truly intrigued. "How?"

She fidgeted, her eyes flicking away from him. "Can we change the subject?"

"Speaking of him discomforts you?" he asked quietly.

Irritated emerald gaze landed on him. "Yes," she hissed.

The kunoichi was growing increasingly prickly, and much as it amused him to see her in such a state, Itachi decided to drop the topic. After all, it might lead to questions he did not wish to answer.

Stretching out his arm around her, he pulled her closer and murmured against her neck, "Sleep."

"Goodnight, Itachi."

Itachi closed his eyes, allowing the warmth of her body and her gentle heartbeat to lull him into sleep.

* * *

The mission had gone so smoothly that the fee they received for it seemed overboard. It had only taken them half a day to find their way into the entrepreneur's house and make it out with the goods. Pleased with their work, her contact had handed over the fees which she had promptly passed on to a scowling Kisame to carry.

And now, they were once again back in the Akatsuki compound in Lightning Country.

Yawning widely, Sakura sat up in her bed and stared out of the window. It was morning already but she had not slept much. She had spent the third night in a row mulling over Tsunade's message, wondering what she should do. At the rate she was going, everything would probably be over by the time she made up her mind, she thought with a weary sigh.

Deciding that she might as well get up, Sakura walked to the window and looked out. Her lips twisted bitterly when she noted Tsunade's timing. Such a thing must happen just as things with her and Itachi resolved itself. It looked like someone out there just did not want her to have even a small taste of a relationship, if she could call what she and Itachi had a relationship.

Perhaps she should simply leave.

A pang in her heart told her that it was going to be harder than that. She had formed bonds with Itachi, Kisame and Deidara and it would be hard for her to just leave like that. But what other choice did she have? It was obvious that Tsunade was planning something big to need her out of the way, so if she stayed, she would be effectively disobeying orders. If she did not leave, she would be betraying Konoha.

What should she do?

Her Akatsuki ring suddenly flared, catching her attention. Glancing down, she touched it and instantly received a message from Pein. He wished to project to see her now. Wondering what was at all about, she returned a message assenting to the meeting.

In a few minutes, the telltale sign of chakra crackling in the air warned her of the Akatsuki leader's arrival. As his projection took shape near her bedroom door, Sakura walked away from the window towards Pein.

"Pein-san," she greeted respectfully.

"Sakura."

"Why do you wish to see me."

"I have a task for you. You will depart to Tea Country today."

She blinked in confusion. "Tea Country?"

Pein nodded. "I wish for an update from the Tea Country contact. He was performing a task for Akatsuki. Deidara will explain where you could find him."

"I don't understand," she began haltingly. Tea Country contact probably meant Morino Idate. But why was Pein sending her instead of Deidara? "Isn't it easier if Deidara was to go instead of me?"

"I have a different task for Deidara."

"I see," she responded levelly. "What about Itachi and Kisame?"

For a moment, she swore that she had seen a flicker of annoyance in Pein's eyes but it was gone before she could truly make sense of it.

"They will be occupied."

If she was not suspicious before, she definitely was now. What could be happening that Pein found it necessary to hide their tasks from her? Could it be that Pein was deliberately separating her from them? Why? Had he found out about her true status?

Knowing that she would only invite more suspicion if she asked too much, Sakura finally nodded. "I'll speak to Deidara about the contact. What do you wish to know from him?"

"A report on the Daimyou's position and the number of foreign shinobi in the country."

"I'll be back with the information in a few days."

"Hm."

With that, Pein's projection shimmered out of sight, leaving Sakura alone in her room.

She sat down slowly on her bed, replaying the meeting in her mind. It was so strange and instinctually, she knew that something was wrong. But she could not put her finger on it. Whatever it was, she just hoped that it would not be too late before she realized what it was.

Getting to her feet, she exited her room and walked the short distance to Deidara's. The faster she got this over with, the better chance she had of finding out what was the mystery behind it. In fact, Deidara might know something.

"Deidara?" she called out as she knocked on the blonde's door.

"Yeah?" a muffled sound responded. "Come in."

She pushed the door open and stepped in. Deidara was resting on his back on the bed, a book propped open on his chest. Squinting, she saw to her amusement that the book was to do with stitching, of all things.

"Learning to make your own clothes?" she teased with a grin.

He glowered at her. "Do I look like the homely type, hm?"

She shrugged. "Who knows."

"No, it's not for clothes." Then, pulling up his sleeve to expose his stitched-up arm, he continued, "I'm just trying to fix this now that Kakuzu isn't here to do it."

Sakura blinked at the sight of the unraveling black thread. It looked as if Deidara's arm would fall off soon, or get infected, if nothing was done about it. With a sigh of exasperation, she went to his bed and sat down at the edge.

"Why didn't you say something before about this?" she snapped at him.

He gave her a cautious look, eyes flicking once to the open door. "You sure it's okay for you to be sitting here alone with me?"

"What are you talking about?" she muttered as she pushed some investigative chakra into his arm. Thankfully, whatever Kakuzu had done to it meant that the arm was retained in a good condition, meaning that now the severed parts could be medically stitched back together.

"The Uchiha."

Sakura stiffened slightly, and then turned to glare at him. "That whole thing is none of your business."

Deidara smirked. "Fine."

"Now keep quiet and let me fix this," she instructed.

Concentrating her healing chakra into Deidara's jagged flesh, Sakura directed the tendon and tissues to knit back together. It took a while, but finally, Deidara's severed arm was firmly reattached to the rest of his body.

She sat back, satisfied with her work. "There. Try not to lose it again."

Deidara snorted. "It was your Leaf friends who did it in the first place, yeah."

Sakura could only manage a forced smile. His words were an unpleasant reminder of her true status. Soon, she would be standing in line together with Konoha to fight the Akatsuki. But the entire thought made her stomach churn uncomfortably.

"So why are you here in the first place?" Deidara asked absently, flexing his arm to check it as he did so.

Reminded of her task, Sakura explained, "Pein sent me here to ask you about your Tea Country contact. He wants me to get an update."

Deidara gave her a look of surprise. "Why you?"

"That was what I asked. Pein said that you have something else to do."

A confused frown graced the blonde's brow. "Well, this is the first I've heard of it, yeah. What am I supposed to be doing?"

So, Deidara did not know either. Shrugging, she replied, "You need to ask Pein."

"This is weird, yeah," Deidara muttered thoughtfully.

She nodded. "Feels like that to me too. Anyway, I need the info so that I can go to Tea Country."

"The contact's name is Morino Idate."

"I guessed just as much."

"You know him?"

"We worked together a while back. He's in Tea Country still?"

"To the north-west. There's only one village there. You should find him quite easily."

Sakura nodded as she stood up. She knew the village in question. Walking to the door, she opened it and stepped out. It was best that she got this task over with soon.

"Well, I'll see you in a few days then!" she said, waving at him over her shoulder.

* * *

Itachi stepped out of his room just in time to see Sakura exiting Deidara's. His brows drew together in a frown of displeasure, even though he knew that it was unlikely that they were doing anything… suspicious. In fact, this paranoia of his when it came to the two was growing to be rather tedious.

"Itachi!" Sakura greeted with a smile as she walked towards him.

"Hm."

"Listen. I need to tell you something."

Before she could continue, his Akatsuki ring pulsed, calling for his attention. He darted a meaningful look towards her, to which she nodded and signaled that they would talk when she returned. Where was she going?

"I'm heading out on a mission," she mouthed as she backtracked away from him.

He nodded and then took the message. Pein wished to see him. Deciding that it was best to be comfortable, Itachi returned to his room and settled on the bed before he performed the necessary seals to project himself to Pein's location.

In moments, Itachi found himself in an unfamiliar room. There was no one there except Pein, and from the hard look in the Akatsuki leader's eyes, Itachi knew that this was something important.

"Itachi."

He waited, knowing that Pein would eventually continue.

"I heard about you and Sakura."

Itachi kept his features impassive, even though he was not pleased by the direction of this conversation. It was obvious that Pein disapproved of it. But as far as Itachi was concerned, the relationship between him and Sakura was not Akatsuki's concern. Pein should know that as long as their performance was not affected, such a thing should not be questioned.

So for a long moment, they simply stared at each other.

"You are playing right into… Tobi's hands," Pein finally said.

Itachi kept his expression impassive, even though Pein's words were unexpected. What did Pein mean?

"Perhaps you wish to clarify that statement." His tone was level.

"He was the one who brought Sakura in. He insisted that the Akatsuki recruit her. What do you think that implies?"

Shock surged through him and Itachi froze. Sakura was brought in by Tobi? If it was true, then it was likely that Sakura took orders from Tobi. But why? Pein had indicated that he did not trust Tobi, even though the masked man was the one pulling the strings. Was this the true reason why he had been asked to watch over Sakura? That the issue about her betraying the Akatsuki to Konoha had simply been Pein's initial excuse?

It made sense in some ways, however, there was still a niggling doubt in his mind. Tobi and Sakura hardly interacted. But then again, Tobi would not use someone who was incompetent. If this was true, then it meant that Sakura had been getting close to him deliberately under Tobi's, or Madara's orders.

Was this why he had been paired up with Sakura from the beginning? For her to get close to him? So that he could be watched over and manipulated?

Again?

Itachi gritted his teeth. If this was true, she was certainly a good actress. He had suspected nothing. And he would continue in such a way if not for Pein's proclamation.

However, how much should he rely on Pein's words? Knowing the rift between Pein and Madara, this could simply be the metal-studded Akatsuki's method of ensuring that his loyalty laid where Pein considered to be the right side.

What Pein did not know was that as far as Itachi was concerned, his own agenda was priority, not Pein's and most definitely not Madara's.

"It matters not," Itachi finally declared flatly.

Pein raised a brow. "I was under the impression that you are rather… taken with her."

"That is merely your assumption."

Pein nodded thoughtfully. "Well, in that case, I suppose you wouldn't mind mobilizing without her."

"Mobilizing?" Itachi prompted cautiously, wondering what Pein could possibly mean this time.

Pein's eyes gleamed. "You, Kisame, Deidara and Konan are to leave now to capture the last jinchuuriki. It is time. Uzumaki Naruto had been sighted and Akatsuki's goal is now within reach."

* * *

A/N: That's it for now. Hope you've enjoyed that. Please review if you could. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! A number of you got this feeling that we're heading towards the end. Yup, I can confirm that we're in the final arc now. I'm still aiming to finish this story somewhere around 30 chapters, so it shouldn't be too long more. As for those who asked about my health – I don't feel that great recently, but I'm surviving.

Onwards to the next chapter…

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 25**

"Where is Sakura?"

That was the first question that came out of Kisame's mouth the moment they stepped out of the Akatsuki compound. Itachi slanted an unreadable glance at his long-time partner, but he had no answer to the question. He was still trying to come to terms with what Pein had disclosed earlier.

"She's heading to Tea Country, yeah," Deidara supplied from behind them.

Keeping his expression impassive, Itachi hid his displeasure at the fact that Deidara knew where she was. Sakura had probably wanted to explain earlier, even though he did not give her the opportunity to do so. Now, he wished he had spoken to her. Perhaps then he would have a better clue if she was indeed on Madara's side.

What made the entire situation more suspicious was the fact that both the older Uchiha and Sakura were absent from this hunting mission. Perhaps it was a mere coincidence, a coincidence that Pein had chosen to exploit. After all, with the final bijuu within reach, it was likely that Pein wished for as many as possible of them to remain on his side, instead of Madara's.

Silence accompanied them as they travelled away from Lightning Country, heading west as instructed by Pein.

"So, where did the info come from this time?" Deidara asked skeptically. "Sure this isn't going to be some wild goose chase?"

"My paper clones found him a few days ago."

Itachi slanted a glance at the kunoichi in their group. So, Pein had tasked Konan to search for the jinchuuriki this time.

"We will find Uzumaki Naruto to the north of Fire Country. He is with two other Leaf nins," Konan elaborated.

"Fine. It's about time, anyway," Kisame said grumpily. "Let's get this over with."

And with that, they commenced the journey.

* * *

Sakura stood on the cliff overlooking the sea, finally standing on dry land after days of traveling over water.

She had just arrived at Tea Country not long ago and since then, had made her way inland through the familiar land. It would take her another half a day traveling at full speed to reach the north-west corner of Tea Country where Idate was based. She knew the village Deidara was referring to. It was close to the border to Fire Country and she knew it because seven years ago, she, Kakashi-sensei, Naruto and Sasuke had spent a night there resting in one of the inns during their first mission in Tea Country.

It seemed like such a long time now. So many things had changed since then. Kakashi was no longer her sensei. Naruto was no longer that hyperactive, skill-less genin, but a fully-fledge ANBU. He was no longer looked down upon and had proven himself to all of Konoha. And Sasuke? Sasuke was no longer that same boy she had fallen in love with.

Lastly, what about her? She guessed in a way, she was the one who had changed the most.

Kakashi was still as perverted as ever, and as protective as ever. From what she could tell form their brief encounters, Naruto was still the same exuberant, earnest individual and she bet that the vengeance in Sasuke's heart had not lessened over the years. All three of them still held the same ideals.

As for her, things had changed so much that she did not even realized it had happened in the first place. How else could she explain why she was so torn between Konoha and the bonds she had forged in Akatsuki? Months ago, this question would not even arise. Months ago, if she had received a certain message from Tsunade, she would not hesitate to act on it, even if it was just to return to Konoha.

Her fingers fisted, crumpling an unmarked scroll in her hand. She had taken a short detour to check another pick-up point, and had found this scroll hidden under the boulders just a few steps away from her current location. It confirmed the contents of the message she had picked up just a little over a week ago. Tsunade would not have taken the trouble to leave the same message all over the place if it was not urgent.

It would be so easy for her to just leave now, bypassing Idate's village and heading straight for Konoha. At the most, it would take her two days to reach Konoha and all this would be over. She would be fully reinstated as a Leaf kunoichi and go about her daily duties without worrying about hunter-nins and such thing, if Tsunade could manage to persuade the council to ignore all her crimes over the last couple of years.

Was it worth it, though? In these two years, she had only managed to save the hachibi jinchuuriki. And perhaps Tea Country from a full-blown Akatsuki invasion. How about Naruto? If she left now to return to Konoha, what would happen to Naruto? How was she supposed to help her friend if she was not around? Was that not why she had agreed to this mission in the first place?

Yes, she was a responsible Leaf kunoichi, bound to follow her Hokage's orders without questions. But if she left, she would be putting her friend in danger. That was something that she was not willing to do, Konoha's orders or not. Naruto's life was more important.

The correct decision was right in front of her eyes all this time. It had nothing to do with Konoha… or Itachi. Even though the thought of leaving Itachi did make her heart clench the way she had never anticipated. It seemed almost unfair that she had just found someone like him only to be left with no choice but to give him up so soon.

Sakura gave herself a mental shake. She had to stop thinking about Itachi because he was making her waver in her decision, something she could not afford to do. If she was to do this, she had to be sure, because there was no turning back.

The priority here was to save Naruto.

Her spine straightened in determination.

She would not leave. A few months had passed since the hachibi extraction and soon, the Akatsuki would be after Naruto. And when they did so, she wanted to be around to make sure that everything went according to plan. At the very least, even if Akatsuki managed to get hold of the kyuubi, she could keep Naruto alive using her jutsu.

Her mind made up, Sakura glanced down at the scroll.

"Forgive me, shishou," she whispered as she watched the scroll disappear from her hand.

* * *

Night had already descended upon Grass Country hours ago, but the activity within the grounds of Kusagakure-No-Sato showed no signs of ceasing. Through the open-slot walls of the hidden village, one could see wood fires scattered around, while shinobi from all over laughed and danced. The Grass shinobi sentries outside the walls stood restlessly at their posts, obviously resenting not being able to enjoy themselves like the rest of their comrades and guests.

Hidden far away within the long, shoulder-height grass, Itachi flicked his Sharingan one last time towards the gates of the hidden village before he turned to his blue-skinned partner. He only had to incline his head once for Kisame to grasp his intent to leave.

As they moved stealthily away from the Hidden Village of Grass, Itachi mulled over what he had seen. Uzumaki Naruto was within the walls of the village, completely oblivious to the danger to his life as he joined in the entertainment provided by the host, the Grass shinobi. He appeared to be representing Konoha, together with two other shinobi Itachi did not recognize, although their chakra signatures seemed familiar.

After traveling a fair distance away from the Hidden Village, Itachi felt Kisame's attention on him.

"The kyuubi brat is still in there?" the Mist shinobi asked.

"Aa."

"I suppose he won't leave until the whole festival is over."

"Our task is only to trail him, for now," Itachi pointed out.

Kisame nodded. "I know. But if he's still in there by next week, we'll have no choice but to enter the village to drag him out."

"Hm."

Considering just how difficult it was to capture Uzumaki Naruto in the past, Itachi supposed he understood why Pein had ordered them to shadow the jinchuuriki, not letting him out of their sight until the planned capture date.

So far, they had been taking turns spying on the jinchuuriki as he travelled with his comrades. Itachi and Kisame had spent the last twelve hours keeping themselves hidden just outside the Hidden Village of Grass, and now, it was Konan and Deidara's turn to do their swift.

Steps slowing, Itachi scanned the grassy area around them until he found a small, almost insignificant marker made up of two twigs. It was the entrance to the cave where the rest were waiting in.

Performing the necessary seals to reveal the cave entrance, Itachi stepped into the cave to be greeted by the sight of Konan and Deidara sitting silently against the wall. Both stared at them questioningly when they entered.

"How did it go, hm?" Deidara asked.

"The target shows no signs of moving," Itachi said as he sat down opposite the blonde shinobi.

Konan stood up and made her way towards the exit of the cave. "We'd better make sure of that. Come, Deidara."

Grumbling under his breath, Deidara stood up. "Never thought I'd say this, yeah. But this mission with you three is mind-numbingly boring."

Kisame snorted. "It's a mission. What do you expect?"

"Well, at least Tobi is entertaining, yeah."

"This is work, you idiot," Kisame retorted.

Deidara raised a brow at the blue-skinned shinobi. "Yeah? So I guess it's the same for you two whether Sakura is around or not, hm?"

"It is not relevant," Itachi responded before Kisame could open his mouth. "You should go. Konan is waiting."

With another grumble, Deidara walked out of the cave, leaving Itachi and Kisame alone. Deciding to rest, Itachi walked to a dark alcove at the back and sat down. Wordlessly, Kisame did the same.

"He's right, you know," the Mist shinobi suddenly muttered gruffly as he sat down.

Itachi quirked a questioning brow at his long-time partner.

Kisame shrugged. "Guess I got used to the kunoichi. It's not quite the same anymore when she's not around."

"Hm."

After a short pause, Kisame asked, "What is going on, Itachi? Why is she not here?"

"Pein seeks to minimize risk."

"Risk?" Kisame frowned thoughtfully. "He suspects her of something, then?"

"Aa."

Kisame shook his head slowly. "Can't trust missing-nins, can you?"

Suppressing a sigh, Itachi leaned back against the stone wall and closed his eyes. He did not know what to think about this anymore. Perhaps he had trusted Sakura, as much a missing-nin could trust anyone. But if she was truly under Madara's command, it meant that she was standing in his way.

If that was the case, would he be able to eliminate her?

* * *

It had taken her a little more than a week to make it to the village in Tea Country, collect the information from a surprised Idate and bring herself back to Lightning Country. But at least she had made it, Sakura thought as she walked through the gates of the Akatsuki compound.

Her steps faltered then. The air was chilly, and ominously silent, giving rise to chills running up the back of her neck. Where was everyone? Were they not back from their own missions yet? Senses on full alert, she made her way to the building and then up the stairs. This time, she felt a slight presence. Pausing at the hallway that led to their bedrooms, Sakura expanded her senses until she located someone familiar.

"Tobi?" she called out hesitantly.

A muffled thump sounded before a door swung open, revealing a face obscured by an orange mask.

"Sakura-san!" Tobi exclaimed, sounding surprised.

She nodded, smiling slightly as she closed the distance between them. "Where's everyone?"

Tobi stepped out of his room fully, his countenance displaying his confusion. "Sakura-san. Why are you still here?"

His words were not expected. Was she supposed to be somewhere else? "What do you mean?" she ventured cautiously.

"The rest left days ago." He paused thoughtfully before he continued, "Actually, more than a week ago now, I think."

"Pein told me they were on some sort of mission," Sakura supplied. "Isn't that right? Or did I miss something?"

Tobi nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes. I think you missed something. It's a big mission. They went to capture the final jinchuuriki."

It took her all her willpower to retain a neutral façade. "The kyuubi jinchuuriki."

Tobi nodded. "Yes, the rest of them left to capture Uzumaki Naruto."

Sakura felt her blood run cold.

"Why are you not with them?" he asked curiously.

It took her a moment to register Tobi's question. "Why… Oh!" Gathering her thoughts, she replied in a more even tone, "Pein asked me to gather some info from Tea Country."

"I see. So that's why…" He gave her an absent wave before he turned around to walk away. "Well, at least you're back now. I'll see you later."

The sudden ice in Tobi's tone set alarm bells in her mind ringing. It also did not escape her notice that this voice was not unfamiliar. She had heard this voice before, when she had eavesdropped on Pein and a so-called stranger months ago. Only she now knew that the so-called stranger was Tobi.

Her mind whirred as she struggled to recall what she had overheard.

Then her eyes widened in comprehension.

No, not Tobi.

Madara.

She frowned in confusion. The only Madara she knew was the founder of the Uchiha clan, but this was not possible, right? After all, it was not possible for one to live so long.

Wasn't it?

What about Orochimaru and Tsunade? They managed to 'remain' young, albeit using different techniques. Come to think of it, she recalled Madara referring to Orochimaru's jutsu the first time she had eavesdropped. Something about Orochimaru's technique being an imitation. She supposed it made sense, in a twisted way. Madara must have been the one who had created the jutsu Orochimaru used, and if she guessed correctly, the Uchiha must be playing quite a crucial role in Akatsuki.

Wait, Orochimaru's jutsu relied on using other's bodies as a container, didn't it? Did this mean that Madara's jutsu required the same thing?

Sakura grimaced. The whole notion sickened her.

So what should she do now?

Realistically, there was nothing she could do about this except to report it back to Tsunade. The problem was, she needed to find a way to remove herself from the Akatsuki compound before sending the message. Which meant that she could not report anything to Tsunade for now.

Talking about reports, she had better contact Pein to update him on the situation in Tea Country. Not that this was important considering everything else that was happening.

Then she would sit down somewhere to think of what she should do next.

* * *

After spending a few days in Grass, Uzumaki Naruto and his two teammates had moved on to Earth Country. The Akatsuki had followed and was now prepared to wait for an unknown amount of time.

Itachi's gaze followed the movement of the jinchuuriki who was only identifiable from his blonde hair and his orange attire. He continued to watch as Naruto disappeared beyond the stone walls. The Leaf nins had commenced socializing with the Hidden Rock Village shinobi and spent most of their time within the gates of the village. Although the celebration was not as boisterous this time, it was becoming clear to Itachi that this excursion was likely to be a public relations exercise.

This brought him and the rest to the conclusion that they had to capture the jinchuuriki once he left the Hidden Village of Rock to head towards his next destination. It would cause more problems if they were to attempt to capture him when he was within one of the villages he was visiting.

"This is ridiculous," Kisame muttered darkly.

Turning sideways, Itachi raised a questioning brow at him.

"We should just drag him back and keep him there until it's the right time to extract."

"The risk of interruption is higher," Itachi pointed out calmly.

Kisame muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Itachi's brow furrowed as he caught one word in the Mist shinobi's grumblings.

Sakura.

It had been more than a week since he last saw Sakura. Much as he did not want to think about it, Pein's declaration about the kunoichi's possible alliance with Madara had continued to disturb him.

He clenched his fists tightly. It irked him that he was thinking about her when he could be thinking about his plans to bring down Madara. In fact, he did not understand why he could not dispel the entire issue from his mind. It should be a simple thing, after all. Whether or not Pein's words were true, the fact that he had brought it up was enough to highlight that Sakura was a risk. And as far as Itachi was concerned, that was enough of a reason for him to be wary of her, for him to remove himself from her. There was no need for such prolonged period of consideration. There was no need to wonder if she might be innocent of the accusation. In his line of work, such risk should not be taken.

And yet, Itachi could not help himself.

Why? Why did she affect him in such a manner? Why could he not dismiss her from his mind even after one week of not seeing her? As attracted as they were to each other, she was simply another woman. Was she not?

Itachi's lips tightened. He knew the answers to these questions, even though he loathed to admit it. The question was, how should he respond to it?

* * *

A couple of days had passed and Sakura was still no closer to a solution with regards to Tobi and the mission to capture Naruto. But she took some relief in the fact that it was taking the four Akatsuki so long to complete their mission. It meant that Naruto was not giving in easily, right? Naruto would fight and never give up, like he usually did.

But how would Itachi fare against Naruto? The last time they had fought, Itachi had won, even though his Mangekyou had taken a lot out of him. What if this time, Naruto managed to defeat Itachi? What if Itachi overdid his doujutsu?

Swallowing past her dry throat, Sakura dragged her eyes away from the window and went to her bed. Flopping down on her back, she sighed loudly.

The honest truth was, she did not want Itachi or Naruto to get hurt. In fact, she did not even want Kisame and Deidara to get hurt, and she knew that this was simply because she had developed some kind of bond with them.

But what she was asking for was impossible. It was a battle and someone was bound to get hurt.

A knock sounded on her door, jolting her out of her contemplations. The chakra signature outside told her that it was Tobi.

"Yes?" she called out, removing herself from her bed.

Tobi pushed the door open and stuck his head in. "Come on, Sakura-san."

She blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"We have to go."

"What? Go where?"

"Wind Country. That's where we'll be doing the extraction. Pein is already there."

Breathe, Sakura, breathe, she told herself. Even though the idea of extracting the kyuubi from Naruto made her feel ill, she could not afford to let any of those emotions show through.

"He's captured?"

Tobi shook his head. "Not yet."

She nodded, smiling slightly. "But at least we're closer to our goal."

Tobi chuckled, a sound which made her hair stand on its end.

"Yes. Yes, we are."

Once he left her room, Sakura quickly gathered her belongings and in a few moments, joined him outside. It took them a few days of traveling to cross the many countries which laid between Lightning Country and Wind Country. When they finally arrived at the extraction chamber, Sakura had had enough of traveling.

As she stepped into the space, Sakura glanced around curiously. Similar to the other extraction chambers, this one was also a huge hidden cave. She supposed it needed to be such a size because of the statue.

Tobi gestured towards the back of the main extraction chamber. "You can rest in there. No rooms, but it should be comfortable enough."

Sakura nodded and watched as the masked shinobi went in the opposite direction. If she had to guess, she would say that Tobi was probably looking for Pein. Which meant that the conversation was probably worth listening into.

Deciding to minimize suspicion, she made her way to the place indicated by Tobi earlier and found herself facing a number of rounded alcoves in the back chamber. In each alcove, there was a small ledge within which she guessed served as a bed.

Making herself comfortable on one of them, she did not waste any time in forming the seals for her hearing-enhancement jutsu. Then she pressed her glowing fingertips to her ears and waited.

Her eyes widened slightly when she heard two familiar voices.

"_It was unnecessary. She doesn't need to be there during the retrieval. The rest could do it."_

"_Your paranoia is beginning to grow tedious," Tobi said in a smooth voice, but there was no mistaking the threat in it._

"_And you're blinded by your own ambition. Why her? Why not someone else?"_

"She is what I need for my future plans."

"_Konan is strong," Pein remarked pointedly._

"_Konan depends too much on others. Besides, it is turning out as I expected. Soon, she will yield what I wish for." A pause followed before Tobi added icily, "Do not stand in my way, Pein, or you will regret it."_

"_She poses a risk."_

"_My spies tested her. She did not betray us under pressure, even though they gave her enough reason to do so."_

"_How certain are you?"_

"_If she was working for Konoha, then there was no reason for her to fight them. They are part of Konoha, after all."_

"_She might have passed your test but I'm not willing to trust her fully. There is something about her that doesn't seem right. Surely you understand why this caution is necessary."_

_A pause followed._

"_Very well. I will… probe further."_

Silence followed his proclamation, and Sakura held her breath. When it did not seem as if they were going to say anymore, she released the jutsu and exhaled loudly.

Their conversation worried her. It was clear that they were talking about her, and that Tobi, or Madara, had some plans which involved her. Tobi needed her for something. From what she could tell, it had something to do with her strength. But what could it be? All she had was the things she learnt from Tsunade.

The last conversation and this one basically told her that it was not a coincidence that she was invited into the Akatsuki. Tobi had a hand in this, and if she had to guess, it must be his spies in Konoha who had suggested her in the first place. Someone who knew what she was capable of.

Also, Tobi's talk about his spies could only mean one thing; the attack on her around one month ago. The implication of it was staggering. The fact the ANBU Root was connected to Tobi had never occurred to her, but now that she thought about it, it made sense. After all, the Hyuuga operative had been fishing for information, trying to get her to admit that she was working for Tsunade.

As glad as she was that she had not buckled under pressure then, Sakura was now worried for Konoha. ANBU Root was under Danzou's command, and it was no secret that Danzou wanted Tsunade out of the way. But the fact that he was willing to work with Tobi, or Madara, meant serious trouble for Konoha. This also explained how months ago prior to the hachibi extraction, Pein had managed to get a copy of the jinchuuriki research she had done in Konoha.

She had to get this information to Tsunade no matter what. This could not wait.

Jumping off the ledge, she walked out into the main chamber, intent on getting outside. The exit tunnel was to the far left, if she recalled correctly, she thought as she made a beeline towards it.

"Ah, Sakura!"

Tobi's unexpected voice almost brought forth a curse from her. She forced a smile to her lips, striving to be as normal as possible as she turned to face him.

"Tobi. Any news from the rest?" she asked.

Stopping in front of her, he shook his head. "But they should be back soon. Where are you doing?"

"I thought I'd scout around the area a little since I don't have anything else to do."

"Yes, yes. A good idea."

"So… Do you need anything when I'm out there?" she asked.

"No," he said as he took a step closer to her.

Suddenly, Sakura found her shoulders clamped by a pair of strong hands.

"But there is something else you can help me with."

Sakura's stiffened in alarm. That voice. It was that voice again. Madara. Then she sucked in a sharp breath as his one single eye became visible.

Sharingan.

Before she could form another thought, darkness overcame her.

* * *

Itachi smirked inwardly as his gaze followed the three figures leaping from branch to branch in the distance. There were four Akatsuki against three Leaf shinobi. It was clear that Leaf did not stand a chance of winning.

"This is going to be good," Kisame declared, his jagged teeth bared.

"I'll handle those two goons behind the Uzumaki brat," Deidara said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Let's go."

They streaked forward, and in a blink of an eye, had the Leafs surrounded. But Itachi knew that it was too easy to be true. His suspicion was proven when Kisame swung his Samehada at a red-haired shinobi only to have him disappear in a puff of smoke.

"Bunshin," Konan murmured, her eyes darting around warily as the other two disappeared as well.

Itachi scanned the surrounding, and his eyes immediately picked up the almost-disguised chakra signatures of the three. He inclined his head in the direction of a nearby river.

"There," he intoned.

The three Akatsuki around him shot towards the river, dispersing as they did so. Itachi remained where he was, his eyes tracking the movement of the Leaf shinobi's chakra. Naruto's was easily recognizable and once again, Itachi had an odd feeling that he recognized one of the others. He simply could not pinpoint which Leaf shinobi it was.

Slowly, he made his way to the riverside just in time to see the three Akatsuki facing the three Leaf shinobi.

Naruto's eyes landed on him instantly. "Oi, Uchiha. Where's your other partner?"

The mention of Sakura made Itachi's lips tighten slightly. Yes, this jinchuuriki was quite familiar with the kunoichi, was he not?

"It is none of your concern, Naruto-kun," he responded calmly.

Kisame snorted. "You'll get to see the kunoichi soon enough."

"When we're extracting the kyuubi from you, yeah," Deidara added. "She'll be making sure you give up your kyuubi nice and quick. Maybe you'll even get to say goodbye."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Why you…"

"Enough talking," Konan said firmly. "Let's begin."

Three Akatsuki met the three Leaf nins with a large burst of chakra and the battle began in earnest. Deciding that it was best to not join in for now, Itachi simply observed as those six shinobi fought.

Konan and Deidara moved away from the river as they continued their battle with the two Leaf jounin, while Kisame bombarded Naruto with a barrage of water-based techniques. Naruto defended himself against the attacks by creating a great number of bunshins, each popping out of existence the moment Kisame's jutsu hit.

Naruto's skills appeared to have improved, although his attacks were still as unrefined as they were the previous few times they had clashed. His two Leaf companions, jounin-level nins from what Itachi could tell, were also reasonably skilled. It was hardly surprising, for the Hokage would never send weak shinobi out to represent Konoha.

The battle went on for a while longer before Itachi noted the approach of Deidara and Konan. The two other Leaf nins were no longer in sight, so Deidara and Konan must have dealt with those two, Itachi surmised. So now, there was only Naruto left against all of them.

"Give up, brat! You don't stand a chance," Kisame spat, swinging his Samehada at Naruto.

Jumping out of the way, the jinchuuriki retorted, "Who are you calling a brat, huh, you stinking fish!"

At his words, Kisame's face twisted in displeasure. It was clear that the Mist nin would gladly mutilate the jinchuuriki at this point. Deciding that it was time for him to enter the battle, Itachi called out to his partner.

"Kisame, stand back."

Tossing a final smirk at Naruto, the blue-skinned nin retreated, joining the other two Akatsuki.

"So, Uchiha, you think you can handle him alone, yeah?" Deidara taunted, raising a brow.

Itachi did not bother to answer. Instead, he fixed his attention on his target. The three other Akatsuki stood back, allowing him to face Naruto alone. After all, the capture of the kyuubi was a task allocated to him a long time ago.

Standing some distance away, a breathless Naruto glared at him. Itachi eyes narrowed at the chakra distribution around the jinchuuriki. As always, the blonde was trying to suppress his chakra, or rather, the kyuubi's chakra, resulting in an erratic distribution. With such power residing within him, Naruto was still unwilling to harness it, but in a way, Itachi understood his reasoning. After all, the Mangekyou had come with a heavy price, one which he had only recently managed to resolve.

Without warning, Itachi darted forward. They met with a clash of kunai, and Itachi easily deflected it as well as the younger shinobi's following shuriken attack. When he released a fire jutsu, Naruto quickly sprang away, managing to avoid being hit before he disappeared suddenly.

A shift in the air caught Itachi's attention then, and he glanced up just in time to see Naruto descending towards him with a Rasengan in his palm. He responded with a rapid series of seals which opened the ground, sucking him in before the glowing ball of chakra hit its mark. Emerging seconds later some distance away, Itachi kept his eyes pinned on the breathless jinchuuriki. No matter how much he fought, the odds were against him.

They continued trading jutsu, Naruto with his wind, and Itachi executing whatever technique necessary to repel the jinchuuriki's attack. Battling and killing an opponent was not difficult, but battling and keeping the opponent alive took greater effort. Still, Itachi knew that it was a matter of time before he won.

"Naruto-kun. It is simpler if you just surrender," he intoned evenly.

"What? You think I'm going to give up just like that?" Naruto snarled. "You Akatsuki have some nerve, sucking out our bijuu like you do. What gives you the right, huh?"

"Why fight a futile battle?" Itachi asked instead.

"Who says it's futile?"

Itachi raised a brow. "Perhaps it is simply a matter of perception."

"Yeah, maybe," Naruto replied just before performed his cloning jutsu again. "But I'm not backing down!"

Itachi braced himself for the attack, watching intently as four identical forms came at him. From their previous battles, Itachi guessed that the real one was most likely the one furthest from him. With that thought, he delivered swift kicks to the first three before streaking towards the fourth.

But to his surprise, when his fist connected, the fourth one went up in smoke as well.

Naruto was more unpredictable than he had thought, Itachi mused as he scanned the area cautiously. Catching a hint of movement out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi ducked out of the way just as a glowing ball of Rasengan sailed over his head.

Without pause, he swung back round, catching a solid arm in his grip as he did so. A gasp of surprise came from his captive when Itachi drove his fist into his midsection, causing Naruto to double over.

Knowing that he had to take advantage of Naruto's momentary distraction, Itachi grasped the blonde's collar, yanking him up so that they were eye to eye. As his own eyes took on the Mangekyou form, Itachi maintained his hold on the jinchuuriki, who was now wearing a wide-eyed look of panic.

In a fraction of a second, Naruto had fallen prey to his Tsukuyomi technique.

It was only after Naruto's eyes had slid shut and his body gone limp that Itachi finally released his hold, allowing the blonde to fall to the ground with a muffled thud.

Satisfied that his task complete, Itachi stood up and glanced around slowly. The other three Akatsuki were walking towards him but he ignored them. Instinct told him that he was missing something, but he could not identify what it was. The entire thing displeased him.

Perhaps it was simply because after so long, they had finally captured the kyuubi jinchuuriki. Perhaps he did not expect it to end so quickly. However, the last few times they had attempted to do so, those like the Copy-nin was in the way, thus complicating matters. But now, it was hardly surprising that it was simpler, seeing that the jinchuuriki only had two jounin companions.

"Where are the two other Leafs?" Kisame asked, glancing around with a deep frown.

"Who cares, yeah. We got what we wanted," Deidara declared with a smirk.

Konan stepped forward then. "We'll scatter to increase our defenses. Itachi, you bring the jinchuuriki back to our Wind Country extraction chamber."

Scowling, Deidara shot at her, "Who put you in charge now, yeah?"

Konan regarded the blonde icily.

In a blink of an eye, Kisame planted his Samehada between them. "Enough."

"Let's go," Itachi intoned as he bent down. In a swift move, he hefted the blonde jinchuuriki up on his shoulder.

With the package safely in hand, his aim of destroying Madara was closer than ever. Eyes narrowing in anticipation as he walked in the direction of the Wind Country extraction chamber, Itachi wondered just how desperate Madara was now that his objective was close. What the older Uchiha did not know was that Itachi had no intention of allowing him to retrieve his stolen power. If everything went according to plan, Madara would be dead before such a thing could happen.

* * *

Sakura peeled her eyes open and sat up abruptly, feeling oddly dizzy. She could not remember what happened. A quick glance around told her that she was in a small alcove which served as her room, seated on a stone ledge. Yes, she was in the extraction site to the north of Wind Country.

One moment, she was talking to Tobi and then… What happened? She fainted?

Frowning, she pinched the bridge of her nose. This was really odd.

Deciding to check on something, Sakura placed her glowing fingers on her temple and sent a surge of investigative chakra into her head. She was seeking one particular thing, something she had come across after her fight with Ino in their first chuunin examination. The thing that she had studied and developed when she was older until it became a form of defense that she hoped she never had to use.

Then she found it.

The mental barrier was still intact, she realized with relief. Her inner personality, Inner Sakura always ensured that any attempt to invade her mind would be futile. The only downside was that the separate chakra store utilized by Inner Sakura was now almost empty, telling Sakura that it was a high level invasion attempt. Not to mention the attempt had included a mind alteration jutsu.

Tobi.

Or rather, Madara.

Anger surged through her. The only comfort she had was that although Madara knew now that she had some sort of mental barrier, he did not know that his mind alteration had not succeeded.

Sakura bit her lips worriedly. The fact that he had tried to invade her thoughts told her that like Pein, he was now suspicious of her too. Trying to clear her mind, Sakura shook her head slightly.

But everything paled now in comparison to the urgency of the information she had learnt from her most recent eavesdropping session. Her priority now was to find a way to get a message to Tsunade. It would be risky considering their suspicion of her, but this was too important. Even if she was caught doing it, it would at least save Konoha from whatever plan Danzou had in mind.

Swinging herself off the stone ledge, she was preparing to leave when her senses pricked at a familiar presence.

She could sense Itachi.

Then her eyes widened in shock.

And Naruto.

He was here. Her hands clenched as she stood rooted to the spot. Naruto was so close to her, yet so far. She just had to rush deeper to the main chamber to drag her friend out of danger, but to do so was suicide for both her and Naruto. There was no way she could rescue him alone. So all she could do was to perform her separation jutsu on Naruto to make sure that he would survive this ordeal.

Blood thundered in her ears, almost deafening in its intensity as she forced herself to move out of the little alcove. Her steps displayed her anxiety, slow and heavy at first. Then as the urgency surged through her, Sakura found herself sprinting towards the main chamber.

She skidded to a halt just at the entrance, her sweeping downwards to the floor where a familiar body laid.

Naruto.

It was really Naruto.

Anger welled up within her. How could the idiot be so careless as to get himself captured? Did he not realize just how hard all of them had worked to keep him safe? Why must he expose himself to danger, and allow the Akatsuki to catch him?

"Sakura. How are you feeling?" Tobi asked. "You sort of fell over right in front of me earlier."

She jumped slightly, and then focused her attention on the two shinobi staring at her. Itachi and Tobi were waiting for her response. So, she just 'sort of fell over', huh? Much as she wanted to rant at the masked Akatsuki for attempting to invade her mind, Sakura knew that such a thing would only bring up more problems. Better to let Tobi think that his mind alteration technique had worked.

"I'm fine. Must have used up too much chakra or something," she said evenly.

Tobi nodded thoughtfully. "Well, you better replenish it from the orb before the extraction," he said as he turned to walk away, leaving her and Itachi alone in the chamber.

Forcing out a smile at Itachi, she continued, "I see that you're successful. Well done. Are you okay? Do you need me to heal anything?"

Itachi shook his head once.

She nodded as she walked towards them, keeping her eyes averted from her blonde friend. The less she looked at Naruto, the less likely that she would crumple into a panicking heap on the ground. She had to hold it together for a little longer.

"The extraction will begin tonight."

Sakura nodded. Tonight was a few short hours away. She would have to prepare to apply her jutsu on Naruto then. But before that, she had to send a message to Tsunade. However risky it was, it was something that she had to do.

* * *

They had a few hours to themselves and Itachi had every intention of spending it with the kunoichi. He needed to find out more. He needed to know for sure if he was being tricked by her. It was something that would not leave his mind until he resolved it, and he could not afford to be distracted once the extraction began.

It was not obvious unless one was very familiar with her, but Itachi could just make out the tension in her shoulders and the hint of anxiety in her eyes. She had only glanced at the jinchuuriki briefly but Itachi recalled how she had wept after their battle many months ago. Perhaps she was thinking about their past friendship.

"Sakura."

The smile she gave him when she turned around appeared somewhat forced, and it did not reach her eyes like it usually did. For some reason, the whole thing displeased him.

"I haven't seen you for almost two weeks," she remarked lightly. "So, how are you really?"

"I'm well."

She sighed heavily before looking up to Itachi. "Was it… difficult?"

He raised a brow in question.

"The capture. Was it difficult to capture Naruto?"

"There were four of us, and three of them."

"I see," she murmured quietly.

"Why do you wish to know?"

Her eyes flickered momentarily. And then she swept her gaze up to him. "He was my teammate, you know. Back in Konoha."

"Hm."

A moment of silence descended upon them then. The kunoichi seemed distracted.

"Look, I'm going out for a walk." She gestured in no particular direction. "Clear my mind before the extraction."

"Hm."

It did not escape him that she did not invite him to join her. So he only watched with growing suspicion as she made her way to the concealed exit and then left with a flare of chakra.

Finally deciding that he should not waste anymore energy thinking about the situation with the kunoichi, Itachi made his way further into the cavern. Once settled on a ledge in an alcove, he closed his eyes.

His mind refused to let him rest, however. Once the kyuubi was extracted, he would engage Madara in a battle. The culmination of what he had worked for over the last ten years was now within reach. Idly, he wondered how Sakura would react once he made his move. If she was truly on Madara's side, then there was no doubt that she would fight him.

To Itachi's consternation, he realized that he did not look forward to such a thing. Shaking the thought away, he forced himself to think of the pending extraction.

Before he knew it, several hours had passed and it was time for them to begin. The voices from outside told him that the rest had projected in and was probably replenishing their chakra from the red orb. Deciding that he should do the same, Itachi stood up and walked out towards the main chamber.

To his surprise, he found that Pein had already summoned the statue. He surmised that the Akatsuki leader must be impatient to begin. Not far away, standing in front of the statue was the rest of the Akatsuki. Apart from himself, only Pein, Tobi and Sakura were in the corporeal form. The rest were mere projections.

Sweeping his eyes around the chamber, Itachi found what he was looking for. The orb was in plain sight this time, and Itachi reached it just as Deidara's projection finished absorbing his own chakra. Placing his hands on the orb, Itachi waited until the jutsu activated. It did not take long for him to replenish his own chakra fully.

By the time he returned to the rest, they were already standing on the tips of the statue's fingers, all set in their allocated positions. There was an odd tension in the air, but it was to be expected, considering that this was the final bijuu.

"It's time," Pein announced.

Deidara darted him a questioning look. "Sakura has to do that thing to the jinchuuriki, yeah?"

"Shall I prepare him then?" the kunoichi asked.

Pein shook his head. "We will not be using your technique today. We cannot risk tampering with such an important bijuu."

Sakura stiffened visibly.

"Will this not delay the extraction?" Kisame asked irritably.

"Yes," Pein murmured. "The extraction would take five days or so. Something I'm certain you all are quite capable of handling."

Looking bewildered, Deidara asked, "Why? Why the hell are we doing this in five days when we can do it in less?"

"I was inspecting the statue earlier, and although the hachibi was extracted, something about it was different. It was… less… than the others. Perhaps, in keeping the jinchuuriki alive, the extracted strength was reduced."

Sakura frowned then. "Are you accusing me of tampering with the hachibi? Because I didn't. The jutsu might have kept the jinchuuriki alive, but the whole of the bijuu was gone from the body by the end of the extraction."

"Regardless, we will not be taking the chance this time."

Itachi knew that she was telling the truth, simply because he was the only one who knew just where part of the hachibi had gone. However, he had no intention of sharing that little fact with them. Besides, this could benefit his own agenda because after five days of extraction, Madara would be substantially drained, while he, Itachi, could easily replenish his own strength using the seal in his arm.

Raising his hands up to form a seal, Pein instructed, "Begin."

Itachi follow suit, keen to get this over with so that he could finally destroy Madara at the end of the extraction. Forming the necessary seals, Itachi slanted a glance at the kunoichi.

As those around her began the jutsu, Sakura's arms remained frozen by her side. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the blue tendrils snaking out of the statue, heading straight towards the unconscious Naruto.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong with Sakura. And the way she was looking at Naruto told Itachi what it was. After everything she had said, she was still unable to betray her so-called friend.

"Sakura!" Pein snapped.

"What are you doing, yeah? You've forgotten the jutsu?" Deidara asked with a confused frown.

Itachi did not say anything, even when their eyes met. Sakura was clearly troubled by the task. But she had no choice but to obey. The question was, would she do so?

He watched as her eyes swept back towards Naruto. The blue tendrils were getting closer to Naruto now, and in a few seconds, it would envelop him and begin to draw out the kyuubi. He saw the familiar expression of determination settling upon her features, telling him that she was steeling her resolve.

Then to Itachi's astonishment, Sakura leapt off the statue to march towards the unconscious jinchuuriki.

What was she doing?

* * *

She did not miss the sharp intakes of breaths as her feet touched the ground. Stupid, stupid, stupid! What was she thinking, jumping down like this? But it she could not just stand there and hope for the best. This was Naruto, not some unknown jinchuuriki. If she did not do anything, Naruto would end up like Gaara before Chiyo-Baasan gave up her life.

She crouched down next to Naruto, determined to protect him no matter what, even at the cost of her own life. But she had no choice. She had been cornered with no way out and she had no time to pretend to be on Akatsuki's side this time. Without the separation technique, the original extraction would kill Naruto. She did not care what they did to her, but she had no intention of participating in the extraction. And without her participation, the extraction process would take at least another day more, giving Konoha enough time to catch up since she already sent Tsunade a message a couple of hours ago.

Quickly, she placed her glowing hands on her friend's chest in an attempt to heal him as much as possible.

Then she heard Tobi's voice. Only it sounded nothing like Tobi. It sounded like a very angry Uchiha Madara.

"This cannot be… The kyuubi is not within him. He's gone."

When Madara's words sank in, Sakura frowned in confusion. The kyuubi was not in Naruto anymore? How could it be? She had not done anything to her friend.

Puzzled, she looked down at Naruto. Then understanding dawned and her eyes widened. Tsunade must have worked out how to separate the kyuubi from Naruto with the notes she had left. Not to mention the wrist bands she had left around the other jinchuuriki's wrist would have given Tsunade quite a lot of information.

"Gone? What the hell do you mean, Tobi?" Kisame snapped impatiently.

The jutsu immediately dispelled as Tobi dropped his arms. Ignoring Kisame's projection, he turned to Sakura. "YOU! This is all your doing."

"So, I was right to doubt you," Pein said coldly. "You're Konoha's spy."

"I probed her mind, but I came across a barrier. How convenient," Tobi gritted out. "Now we know why."

Sakura tensed as the six Akatsuki stared down at her. The fury in Tobi's form was unmistakable. Pein and Konan's projection wore identical looks of annoyance, while the projections of Kisame and Deidara wore expressions of disbelief. Last but not least was Itachi's thin-lipped look of disdain. Sakura felt her heart shatter that very instant.

Eyeing them warily, Sakura wondered just who would be the one to kill her.

Then Tobi broke the silence.

"Itachi. Kill her."

Sakura's breath hitched in her throat as a pair of crimson eyes pierced her. Her glowing hands stopped forcing healing chakra into Naruto as she straightened up.

"Very well," the Uchiha finally replied, his voice devoid of emotion.

In a blink of an eye, Itachi was standing before her.

Sakura took a wary step backwards, preparing herself to fight, even though her heart constricted painfully at the thought of it. She was left with no choice. This was Itachi, the cold-blooded assassin, the one who had just agreed to obey Tobi's order. Not the one she had gotten close to over the last few weeks, not her lover. It looked like whatever that they had between them, it no longer mattered to him. He would discard it emotionlessly like he had discarded his own clan. It was something that she should have expected.

She stared into his eyes unflinchingly, quite certain that he would not use the Mangekyou on her. Not because he did not want to hurt her, but because the move was too taxing for him. He obviously thought that he could defeat her just like that. Her hands clenched into fists, trying to stop the slight trembling.

"So it has come to this," he murmured, sounding completely detached.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. It was not as if she did not know this day would come. But it did not make it easier for her to take. In fact, reality was more painful than anything she ever envisaged.

"I'm not going to let you kill Naruto," she declared in a stony voice.

"I know."

"Then back off!" she snapped, straining to keep herself calm.

"My order is to kill you," he intoned quietly, his eyes not leaving hers.

"You think I'm going to stand here without a fight?" she retorted heatedly. "I am a Leaf kunoichi, and I will not let you kill me without doing a thing to stop you."

"Eh, Sakura-chan… I don't think he's going to listen to you."

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath at the sound of the familiar voice. Around her, the Akatsuki tensed as they stared at her feet. A shuffling sound reached her ears then. Her heart thumping rapidly in her chest, Sakura glanced down uncertainly.

To see a mischievous whiskered face grinning back at her.

* * *

A/N: It was a difficult chapter to write, so I'm relieved that I finally got it out. Hope you enjoyed reading it and as always, please review if you could. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, all of you. Glad you enjoyed the last chapter! Without further ado, here is the next one. It is a little long, so you might want to get comfortable.

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 26**

Sakura could not believe what she was looking at. Firstly, she did not expect Naruto to wake up so soon. And secondly, why the hell was Naruto so chirpy? Did he not realize just what a horrible mess they were in now?

"It's been a long time, ne, Sakura-chan?" Naruto quipped as he cricked his neck. "I thought that shark thing broke my neck back when we were fighting earlier."

Sakura could only stare mutely. Naruto was smiling at her, really smiling at her, looking so cheerful and so _bright_ that it made her eyes hurt. Jumping to his feet, the blonde glanced around them, his casual expression did nothing to hide his tense body. He was obviously prepared for a fight, despite his lighthearted words.

"N-Naruto…" she whispered in disbelief. "W-What… H-how…"

He turned back to her and his grin widened. "You sound almost like Hinata there. I just got rid of her stutter, so don't tell me I have to work on you now."

"I…uh…" What was this about Hinata? Then she shook herself mentally, gathering her scattered wits. And when she did, she planted her hands on her hips, glaring angrily at her friend.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Naruto?!" she shouted. "Getting yourself captured like this!"

"Eh, I thought you might need some help. Can't let you take them down all alone, can we?" Naruto said blithely, completely unperturbed by her outburst. "I have to say, though. It was harder that I thought, getting myself here."

Naruto knew? He knew and he planned all this? Sakura did not know if she should hug him or give in to the urge to strangle him. Only Naruto would do something as dumb as this. He could not possibly be thinking that the two of them could take down the entire Akatsuki. It was suicide.

"Where is the kyuubi?" Tobi snapped, jumping down from the statue's fingers, reminding her that they were still in a lot of trouble.

Naruto slapped a hand to his forehead, muttering about forgetting something. Then he bit his thumb and pressed it to the wristbands Sakura had just noticed. The wristbands instantly burst into clouds of smoke.

Naruto grinned as he spread his arms out wide. "Look who I brought with me."

The smoke cleared to reveal none other than the Sand Kazekage, whose eyes gleamed with malice as he took in his surroundings. Sakura simply continued to stare incredulously as another puff of smoke revealed none other than the hachibi jinchuuriki. Were they stuck in those wristbands all along? It was not a jutsu she knew, although the principle appeared to be similar to the summoning jutsu they usually used.

"Yo, Gaara, Akira!" Naruto greeted cheerfully. "It's about time, huh?"

"Took you long enough," the hachibi jinchuuriki muttered.

"What the hell…" Kisame's projection uttered disbelievingly.

Naruto grinned. "You guys didn't think I'd be stupid enough to come here alone, did you? And anyway, these two want a piece of the Akatsuki too."

"The redhead is weak, especially without the Shukaku," Pein pointed out derisively as he too, joined them on the ground. "And the other one is nothing without the hachibi."

Naruto raised a brow. "That's what you think."

"What are you doing here, Naruto?" Sakura asked urgently, grabbing his arm as panic and confusion mingled within her.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. We're here to help. I won't let you deal with this alone, no matter what Tsunade-baachan thinks. Heh! Anyway, it's too late for her to do anything about this now."

"Shishou doesn't know you're here?" she shrieked incredulously. Closing her eyes briefly, she breathed out in exasperation, "Never mind." She decided that she would get the full story from him later. Right now, they had more important things to worry about, namely the Akatsuki.

"She does," the Kazekage murmured almost inaudibly.

Sakura darted her eyes at Gaara. So Tsunade knew after all? But everyone's attentions were now fixed onto the group of Akatsuki. Kisame, Deidara and Konan, who were present in the form of projections, could do nothing but watch from atop their perch on the statue's fingers. However, they had enough trouble in the forms of Pein, Madara and Itachi who were now standing facing them on the ground.

Her eyes flicked once again to Itachi, and her heart twisted at his frigid gaze. That look was almost too much for her to take. She had deceived him when he had done nothing against her personally. But she had brought this upon herself. She had known from the start that it would not end well. Her loyalty to Konoha and her relationship with him could not coexist. What they had was something fleeting, something which obviously would not stand this test.

Because at the end of this, one of them would die. And no matter what she felt for him, she knew that she would not let herself lose. So she had to make sure that he was the one who would lose. And that meant killing Itachi.

Could she do it?

* * *

She had betrayed them. All of them. And like fools, they fell for it.

_He_ fell for it. He had fallen for her manipulation.

Although it meant that she was not in alliance with Madara, this was almost worse, for her deception meant that his plan was affected. He had wanted to wait until Madara exhausted his supply of chakra before he struck. But with this development, there would be no extraction and his plans were no longer viable.

Since there would be no extraction, he would have to fight Madara as he was. As confident as Itachi was of his own skills, he never thought to assume that he was capable of bringing down the illustrious founder of the Uchiha clan single-handedly. Such a thing would be foolish.

Which meant that he had to wait for another opportunity, something he did not wish to do.

The jinchuuriki's voice broke into his contemplations, and Itachi fixed his gaze on the beaming Naruto.

"Thanks to Sakura-chan here, the kyuubi is gone," he exclaimed, sounding proud of the kunoichi's achievement, and this, for some reason, irked Itachi further.

"Tsunade TOLD you?" Sakura exclaimed, sounding incredulous. "No one was supposed to know!"

It was clear that her status as a spy was not public knowledge. In fact, Itachi would not be surprised if the Hokage was the only one who knew about it.

Naruto waved a dismissive hand around. "Of course not. She didn't tell me a thing. But you did the research on me in the first place, ne, Sakura-chan. Did you think I would forget your techniques?"

Sakura blinked at him wordlessly as he slung an arm around her shoulders.

"Enough of this!" Madara snapped darkly, taking on a fight stance.

Itachi only continued to watch expressionlessly, although he was growing increasingly agitated by the whole scene, particularly the jinchuuriki's obvious affection towards the kunoichi. He refused to consider the reason behind his own reaction, for he knew that what he would discover was surely unwanted. The focus now should be on the situation that was quickly escalating out of control, not the kunoichi.

At this stage, was there a way for him to salvage his plans? Perhaps. He might be able to take advantage of this situation. If Naruto and his accomplices engaged Madara in battles, that would surely deplete some of the older Uchiha's strength. All he would have to do then was wait for an appropriate moment to strike.

Itachi smirked inwardly as Naruto charged at Madara. At the same time, the hachibi jinchuuriki charged at Pein, leaving him to handle the weakest jinchuuriki, the ichibi jinchuuriki, the Kazekage. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted Sakura standing still, staring wide-eyed at them. The rest of the Akatsuki, who were merely projections, could do nothing but watch cautiously.

Unwavering jade eyes fixed to him, the Kazekage directed his words to the kunoichi. "Haruno. Come here."

It took Sakura a moment to respond. "Kazekage-sama?" she acknowledged, her entire posture displaying her tension.

"I am informed that you're quite capable. You will deal with the Uchiha."

Sakura's eyes widened.

"I have another task to perform," the Kazekage murmured before turning away.

Sakura did not respond verbally, but Itachi could see her gloved hands clenching and unclenching by her sides in preparation for a fight. In moments, the Kazekage had slipped away, leaving them to face each other. To Itachi's annoyance, he noted that his acute displeasure at the entire situation was not enough to disguise the awkwardness between them.

Around them, he could hear the commencement of the battles between the others, but his attention was fixed onto the tense kunoichi before him.

"Itachi…" she began haltingly. "I… I think I owe you an explanation."

"It is not necessary." His tone was clipped.

He did not want to hear her excuses. Justifying her actions meant nothing at this point. To her, he was simply part of her Leaf mission, part of getting deeper into the organization. And so, to him, all she should be was simply another opponent, a casualty in this war that he had sworn against Madara.

Her eyes flickered. "Just hear me out for while. What difference does it make?"

"I do not wish to waste any more time talking."

"Waste time talking? You think we are wasting time?" she asked, sounding incredulous. "I just want to explain, Itachi!"

He did not bother to answer. Instead, he flicked a handful of kunai out in readiness for the battle. Her eyes narrowed at his move, and in response, she applied the enhancement jutsu to her eyes. She would need it, Itachi thought vaguely as he streaked towards her.

Their weapons clashed and for a moment, their eyes locked. Flashes of the time they had spent together invaded his mind then, gracing him with the sound of her laughter, the smile on her face, her soft skin under his hands, and reminding him of all the time that he had been amused by her antics. This time however, her eyes were filled with unmistakable anguish and a growing hint of anger.

Despising how easily he was distracted, Itachi flipped back, gearing up to execute his seals for a water jutsu. It was then that he heard Kisame and Deidara cursing in unison.

"I got a squad here," Kisame's projection announced.

Deidara's projection nodded. "You're not the only one, yeah. Mine looks like they're from Suna."

"I have the same," Konan confirmed.

Itachi glanced sharply at Sakura. So, it appeared that this was truly a full-blown plan to take down the Akatsuki. What was odd was Konoha's absence so far.

"Did you know of this ambush?" Itachi asked calmly as he released the water jutsu. "Did you plan this with Suna?"

Sakura immediately flickered out of sight, having substituted herself with a rock to avoid his attack. When she reappeared some distance away, she hissed, "No. And I thought you didn't want to talk."

"Hm."

Yes, he should simply concentrate on eliminating her, shouldn't he?

* * *

Naruto stared hard at the masked shinobi before him. The waves of malevolence emanating from this person were palpable. Its intensity almost made him shudder, and Naruto had to give himself an inward shake to focus on his opponent.

After all, it was his turn to do his part.

When he realized just what was happening with Sakura, he had been mad. He had been mad at himself for not seeing it earlier. How could he, like the rest of Konoha, think that Sakura was capable of betraying Leaf? But he had, and that made him feel like the lowest form of living creature ever existed. He should have known that Sakura would not do something as stupid as stealing some dumb scroll and then running away with it.

It was only when he had overheard the conversation between Tsunade, Kakashi and Shikamaru that things began to look a little suspicious. He had done a bit of thinking then, and that was when he came across some irregularities. But the most obvious one was the technique Tsunade had used to extract the kyuubi from him. That technique had Sakura's signature all over it but when Sakura had left Konoha, it was nowhere near as advanced.

Then there was Sasuke. When that teme had finally decided to talk about that battle, he had spoken about waking up briefly to find himself travelling midair. That was the last clue, for Naruto knew that Sakura's summon was Yatagarasu, a black raven.

Knowing that he would not be allowed to do anything even if he had confronted Tsunade with these 'evidences', he had contacted Gaara instead. The Kazekage had agreed to help on the condition that the mission planning was left to Suna. After all, Gaara wanted something back from the Akatsuki.

"Done staring?" the masked shinobi sneered.

Thoughts broken, Naruto slid his eyes to the Akatsuki. "Nah, just wondering how long it'll take for me to bring you down."

"Insolent brat."

Naruto smirked, watching warily as his opponent performed a rapid series of seals. Then he frowned when the familiarity of the seals sank in. It was unmistakably an Uchiha fire technique. So, what Gaara had heard from his sand spies had some truth in it after all.

"Oi! You're that Madara guy, aren't you?" Naruto asked just as created a clone to absorb the impact of the fireball.

The figure before him stilled. "You're not as dumb as you look."

He immediately bristled. "Who are you calling dumb, you masked freak?" Naruto snapped back, annoyed by how everyone kept underestimating him. "You Akatsuki are the stupid ones, not even realizing that one of you was bugged."

"Bugged?" Madara prompted silkily.

Naruto smirked smugly. "Yeah. Remember when Suna ambushed your headquarters?"

Madara remained silent.

"Well, Gaara's sand stuck fast to your Akatsuki pals and been feeding Gaara information since then." Grinning widely now, Naruto continued, "You didn't think that the Akatsuki woman found me by chance, did you? And oh, they talked quite a lot of about you, by the way."

"Fools," Madara hissed furiously. "Where is the kyuubi?" he snarled, lashing out with a ball of fire.

"Won't you like to know?" Naruto retorted as he darted out of the way this time.

"I will kill you."

"Not if I kill you first! You have any idea how many people suffered because of what you've done?"

A dark chuckle escaped the dark-haired shinobi. "They are simply pawns. Besides, this is all the Shodaime's doing. We were meant to rule Konoha together, but he got too high and mighty about his ideals. He could not handle that there are much more out there than a simple hidden village. We could have ruled everything."

Naruto snorted. "Yeah, blame it all on him, will you? It got nothing to do with the fact that you're one greedy bastard."

"My ambition is far too great for him or anyone else to comprehend. Konoha as a whole stood against it, even my own clan. Things like immortality, and the magnitude of strength and power I seek will no doubt result in casualties."

"Immortality? Oh, yeah, you're one old bastard, aren't you? You're like Orochimaru."

Madara sneered in disdain. "Orochimaru is simply a pale imitation. His foolish attempts to recreate my jutsu yielded results so weak that I'm disgusted by it."

Naruto scowled at him.

"Yes, blame the Shodaime if you want to find someone to blame. If he hadn't banished the kyuubi while my powers were bonded to it, all these would be unnecessary. By doing so, my power to control the kyuubi had diminished. So it was hardly surprising that the kyuubi ran free eighteen years ago when I summoned it. It was unfortunate that I did not possess enough control to take back my own power before they sealed it into you. "

Naruto gasped, eyes widening in horror. "YOU! You were the one who called kyuubi to destroy Konoha?!"

Madara laughed. "Is that so difficult to comprehend? I hold no love for that village after what they have taken from me. It was then that I obtained this body, see? A flawless Uchiha body instead of the useless non-Uchiha ones I've occupied over the decades."

"You sick bastard!"

"And now, I'd like the kyuubi returned to me. Now that the kyuubi no longer needs to be extracted, I could simply take it with me once I absorb the powers of the other eight bijuu. I no longer have any need for the Akatsuki to carry out the extraction, thanks to you."

"You will never find the kyuubi!" Naruto spat heatedly.

"Would you like to clarify what you mean, Madara?" Another voice ground out.

Madara looked startled, as if he was only realizing that they had an audience.

Launching away from Akira, who was now watching the proceedings intently, Pein landed in front of Naruto. "This is a joint venture, or have you forgotten?" he said icily, his eyes fixed on Madara. "We all will take a part of the bijuu's power."

It was then that Madara tossed his head back and laughed.

* * *

The sheer darkness of Madara's laughter broke through their fight, causing both Itachi and Sakura to pause mid-blow. She was breathing hard, her emerald eyes fixed to his. His chest twisted oddly at the sight. He could sense that she was upset by their fight, but she had surely expected this to happen when she chose to betray them.

But right now, there was something more important that required their attention. Exchanging a cautious look with each other, both of them dropped their hands and then slowly stepped apart. The unspoken agreement was there, that they would continue the battle, but later.

Itachi turned around to see Madara facing Pein in front of the statue. Sakura had moved to stand beside Naruto, while the other two jinchuuriki stood at the far side of the chamber. Kisame, Deidara and Konan were now standing at the base of the statue, their projections continuing to flicker erratically as they split their attention between the fight outside and their presence in the chamber. Idly, Itachi wondered why they were still there. Surely they knew that the Akatsuki was well on its way to destruction with Pein and Madara openly at each other's throats.

His laughter lessening into derisive chuckles, Madara mocked, "Is that truly what you believe, Pein? You, who do not have the strength to defeat me even in my current state, wished to hold the power of the bijuu in his hands? Are you foolish enough to believe that you could control such power?"

Pein's expression contorted in anger. "So you've been manipulating _everyone_."

"Did you truly expect otherwise? Even Itachi is suspicious." His attention turned to the impassive Uchiha. "Yes, I know that you've been spying on me. But to what purpose, Itachi? Did you find out what you wanted to know?"

Itachi stared at the other Uchiha. Although he could admire the complexity of Madara's plan, it did not detract from the fact that the older Uchiha had used him as well. As for his question…

"Yes."

Madara smirked. "It doesn't matter, in any case. You should realize that the moment you showed your weakness, I ceased to think of you as someone useful."

Itachi's lips tightened slightly. What was Madara trying to imply, that he was now weak? "I have no weakness," Itachi declared.

Madara inclined his head toward Sakura. "That Leaf kunoichi is your weakness. Still, that was also part of my plan."

Was this what Pein had meant when he had said that they were playing right into Madara's hands? "Perhaps you would like to elaborate," Itachi intoned flatly.

"You see, there is no such thing as true immortality. One requires fuel to operate, so to speak." Madara's eyes narrowed as he continued, "And your foolish action of decimating the Uchiha clan ensured the loss of my fuel supply."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly as Madara's words sank in. A large number of the clan members had been slaughtered when he arrived that day, before he massacred the rest. In doing so, he had deprived Madara of his so-called fuel. The life-forces of those Madara killed must be sustaining him through his unnatural life.

Madara sneered. "I see that you realize now. Yes, I took their life-forces to prolong mine. However, this force depletes over time, and eventually, I would need more. So I kept you close, so that you do not do anything foolish. I would have done the same to Sasuke if you had not poisoned him against you."

"Why do you wish to keep me close?" Itachi asked, even though he had an inking of what it could be.

A bark of mirthless laughter broke from Madara. "Someone needs to revive the clan."

"Such foolishness."

"On the contrary, you came close with the kunoichi, didn't you?"

"Hardly."

"Enough of this!" Pein snarled. "Akatsuki was not formed to pander to your personal whims, Madara. We have a greater purpose."

"World domination?" Madara sneered. "For what purpose? Surely you don't think you have the capacity to rule the world, Pein. You think too highly of yourself."

Pein's eyes narrowed dangerously, the swirls within them beginning to rotate. "Madara, you've gone too far this time. Do you really think that you're that invincible?"

Raising a brow, Madara taunted, "Prove me wrong, then."

For a moment, Pein simply stared at the Uchiha. Then in a flurry of seals, the entire chamber vibrated violently. A loud roar came from the statue as the eight eyes began to open while streaks of chakra danced around the massive structure, testifying to the sheer power locked within.

Itachi's eyes widened when he realized what was happening. Pein must have decided that he would lose everything if the power from the statue was not taken immediately. The turn of events was unexpected, but Itachi welcomed it. For a battle with Pein meant the further depletion of Madara's strength.

"You think this will give you an upper hand?" Madara demanded loudly, executing his own set of seals at a speed which made Itachi's eyes narrow in displeasure. Then Madara's chakra was speeding towards the statue to join Pein's.

"Damn it! We've got to stop them, Sakura!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura immediately restrained him. "No, Naruto! The statue will destabilize if we do anything abrupt and all the bijuu might escape."

Unperturbed by what was going on around him, Pein keep his concentration on the rumbling statue while the rest of them watched in silence. Two sets of chakra were reaching into the statue now as both Pein and Madara attempted to draw out the bijuu's powers. Out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi noted that Deidara, Kisame and Konan's projections were growing fainter by the moment. Their true selves must be having a difficult time with the Suna ANBU outside.

Then to Itachi's surprise, another burst of chakra came from the far end of the chamber. It was not only him who turned around to find the Kazekage of Suna and the hachibi jinchuuriki joining in with Pein and Madara. Four sets of chakra now focused on the statue.

"What do you think you're doing?" Pein gritted out angrily.

The Kazekage only smirked in response.

Before anyone else could react, chilling cries pierced through the air. The sealed beasts were beginning to emerge, Itachi noted intently as the first tendrils of chakra from the statue began to filter out. His Sharingan could make out the individual chakra signatures of the different bijuu. It was clear that most of the power was going straight to the copper kettle tied at the Kazekage's waist and the scroll held in the hachibi jinchuuriki's hands. Itachi could only surmise that it was because there was already a bond formed between the ichibi, hachibi and their respective jinchuuriki. Pein and Madara were absorbing some as well, albeit not as fast as the other two.

"How dare you!" Madara hissed furiously, but like Pein, he could not afford to break off the jutsu.

"We are only taking back what is ours," the one called Akira declared.

The statue rumbled suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to it. Then cracks began to propagate throughout the massive structure, with shafts of bright blue light shooting out from those lines. It was then that Itachi realized that the statue was destabilizing.

"Stop it! All of you, stop it!" Sakura shouted urgently, taking a step forward.

"Leave it, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grabbed her arm. "They need to get back their bijuu."

"Not long more," the Kazekage murmured.

Then Sakura was by his side. "Itachi, listen to me! If they don't stop it, the statue will break and the bijuu will escape."

Itachi slanted a contemplative look at her. Had she forgotten that they were on opposing sides? And yet, he could not deny that she was correct. Such a thing would be devastating indeed. The fact that she was now effectively the enemy made him hesitate. Furthermore, he was not certain what she expected him to do.

"Do not interfere, Itachi!" Madara snarled in warning. "You'll regret it!"

Perhaps he would not have interfered if Madara had not chosen to 'order' him as if he had every right to. So, smirking, he turned fully towards the older Uchiha.

"Is that so?" Itachi queried smoothly.

All attention was turned to him suddenly. Ignoring them, he activated his Mangekyou for the first time since he had absorbed the hachibi's healing power. A familiar stab of pain pierced his eyes, and Itachi immediately released a small portion of the hachibi's chakra to heal it. At this point, it no longer mattered if anyone knew he had stolen the power.

Madara's cry of outrage reached him just as Sakura gasped incredulously, her chakra-enhanced eyes snapping in the direction of the seal on his arm.

"Itachi…" she whispered. "You got the hachibi's healing powers…"

Not heeding her, or anyone else for that matter, Itachi prepared himself for the jutsu. In a fraction of a second, the black fires of Amaterasu were circling the statue, effectively cutting off the four connections made to it earlier. Nothing would be able to pass the cage of the black fire now.

"Itachi!" Madara snarled. "I warned you…"

Pein took a step away from the rumbling statue. "Itachi…" he gritted out, his lips thinning in fury.

"Did you get them, Gaara, Akira?" Naruto asked urgently, ignoring the two irate Akatsuki.

"I got most of mine," Akira confirmed as the Kazekage sealed the copper kettle containing the ichibi into a scroll. "But it's enough."

Punching a fist in the air, Naruto shouted excitedly, "Yes!"

The Kazekage cast a pointed look at the hachibi jinchuuriki. "Akira."

Akira nodded. "I know. I'll head out to check on them."

With that, the hachibi jinchuuriki performed a transportation seal and in a blink of an eye, was gone from the extraction chamber.

"Look…"

The trepidation in the kunoichi's voice drew Itachi's attention back to the statue. There were six pairs of open eyes there still, but two of them appeared dimmer than the others. His brows furrowed slightly when he saw how the statue was trembling violently while still surrounded by the ring of fire of his Amaterasu. The cracks within the body of the statue were growing but it was too late to do anything about it now since no one could get to it. But at least the destructive forces of the bijuu were contained.

"Look what you've done," Madara hissed. "You fool!"

Then the rumble grew louder and the chamber began to shake around them. Unconcerned, Itachi simply continued to watch as the statue began to crumple inward, first almost sluggishly, and then with increasing speed until a black hole became apparent behind the rushing fragments of statue.

"What the hell?" Naruto muttered. "Is that some sort of black hole?"

"Looks like it," Sakura murmured.

The pressure around them increased and then abruptly, everything went still.

The statue was gone.

Itachi glanced around, noting Pein's grim expression and Madara's tense posture. Kisame, Deidara and Konan's projections were gone by now. Itachi wondered if they were on their way back to the extraction chamber, or they had been killed.

"Hah! Let's see how you'll deal with us without your precious statue!" Naruto suddenly hollered.

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed in warning as Pein and Madara snapped towards them.

Madara was the next one to speak. "So, Itachi, you stand by them now."

"I stand by no one," Itachi declared levelly.

"You appear most willing to… assist your Sakura," Pein gritted out.

Naruto blinked. "His Sakura? Hey, Sakura is not his!" he protested indignantly. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The kunoichi winced visibly.

"Enough of this foolishness!" Madara snapped, and then turned to him. "I know you, Itachi. And I know that you're biding your time."

"You know nothing of me."

"Is that so? Shall I show you just how easily that can be remedied now that I've regained my original level of chakra? Shall I show you the amount of control I have over your mind, even without the part of me sealed off with the kyuubi?"

Taking another step towards him as his hand went to his mask, Madara continued, "It's time for us all to see what you don't wish for others to see, don't you think? How pathetic your life has been so far. How easily you fall under the manipulation of others."

Itachi's eyes widened as the mask fell to the ground, revealing a set of mismatched blood-red Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Watch, all of you! Watch what I can make you see!" Madara shouted as he completed a set of seals at a blinding speed.

"Naruto! Don't look at him!"

"Shit!"

The dark blades of Madara's Mangekyou spun and Itachi gritted his teeth when he realized that he was unable to look away.

And to Itachi's fury, images from his past began to saturate the surrounding, projected mid-air for everyone to see. He fought to move, to stop this invasion of his privacy, but found that he was frozen in place, prevented from moving as the older Uchiha forced out his memories, one after another from his mind.

* * *

Itachi was five and it was his first day in the Academy. His father stood tall beside him, his countenance betraying nothing as he faced the leader of the Hyuuga clan. Silently, Itachi studied the Hyuuga's profile, noting the pale eyes common to that clan.

"So this is the Uchiha's future leader," Hyuuga Hiashi remarked cordially.

"No."

Puzzled, Itachi blinked up at his father. His mother had always said that he was the heir to the Uchiha clan. So why was his father denying it?

The Hyuuga raised a surprised brow. "Is he not your son, Uchiha-san?Do you not trust him with the Uchiha name?"

Itachi tensed. He not worthy?

His father regarded the Hyuuga coolly. "He has yet to prove himself. And you know as well as I do that as a shinobi, it would be wise to trust no one."

"That is wise, Uchiha-san."

"If you would excuse us, we have to leave."

The Hyuuga nodded.

* * *

Two months had passed since he had been admitted into the Academy, and since then things had been busy, both at home and outside.

His mother had given birth to his brother just two weeks ago. The baby was so small, so fragile.

And loud.

Itachi smiled as he slid the shoji screen shut. His little brother would not stop crying, but his mother looked happy. As usual, his father was nowhere to be found, and Itachi figured that he must be handling some clan business.

Walking away from the sleeping quarters, Itachi made his way to the forest. He was going to train to keep his top position at the Academy to make his father proud. His father always reminded him of the importance of being strong, so that he did not shame the Uchiha name. And that being a strong shinobi would bring honor to their clan and strengthen their position in the Hidden Leaf Village.

It did not take long before Itachi reached the training area set up with targets. This was where most of them, the Uchiha shinobi, trained. And if he was to be a good shinobi, he would have to master this part of the training.

The circular targets were set up randomly around the clearing, some visible, and some hidden behind rocks and trees. Pulling a handful of shuriken out of his pouch, Itachi began to practice. This exercise was nothing new to him, for he had begun this training since his father had brought him there more than a year ago, when he had been four years old.

Exasperation coursed through him when he realized that once again, his shuriken hit all the targets except for the one hidden behind the boulder. The only time he had hit it was by accident, when one of his shuriken was accidentally deflected. Reaching for his kunai this time, Itachi calculated the angle and the distance needed to guide his kunai to that target.

He flipped a kunai into the air, and then directed another kunai at it. A ping sounded as metal collided, deflecting the first one sideways. When he heard a sharp thud, Itachi went to the boulder and glanced behind it.

He smiled when he saw that the kunai was embedded in the target.

A small sound distracted him then. Itachi spun around to find his father standing next to a tree, watching him assessingly. Without stopping to pick up his kunai and shuriken, he walked to his father, careful to keep his steps even. His father disliked any form of disorder.

"Chichi-ue," he greeted with a small bow.

His father inclined his head. "You have promising skills, Itachi. Work harder, be excellent."

Itachi nodded firmly. He had spent all his waking hour practicing his kunai and shuriken techniques. Soon, his father would recognize his hard work and the result of his training. He would make sure that the Uchiha name was revered in Konoha.

"I will train harder to be excellent, Chichi-ue."

His father regarded him thoughtfully. Then he inclined his head towards the direction of the lake. "Come."

Itachi obeyed immediately. Walking silently by his father's side, he wondered what his father wished to show him. It was rare for his father to pay him so much attention in one day, but he was happy about it. When they reached the lake, Itachi followed his father to the end of the pier.

"Watch carefully and learn."

With that, his father performed a string of seals.

"Katon: Goukakyuu-no-Jutsu!"

Then he raised his fingers to his lips. Itachi watched in amazement when a stream of fire shot out from his lips to transform into a giant fireball over the lake. This was the technique which marked the passage of an Uchiha to adulthood. The fact that his father was showing it to him now meant that he was expected to master it.

When the flames dissipated, his father turned to him. "Perform the seal as I've done. Then concentrate your chakra into your chest and release it all at once."

Itachi nodded. He could do this. He would not disappoint his father.

His hands flipped through the seals he had memorized. Closing his eyes, Itachi focused on his chakra. He drew everything he had to his chest, ignoring the growing pressure within his ribcage. It was painful, but he would not fail this. He would not let his father down.

His eyes snapped open.

"Katon: Goukakyuu-no-Jutsu!"

Bringing his hands to his lips, Itachi expelled the chakra he had accumulated in his chest. All at once, a stream of flame exited his mouth, and to his exhilaration, expanded into a large ball of flame. The lake lighted up with the brightness of the fireball. His lips burned with the heat, and the fireball was not as large as his father's, but he had successfully executed the jutsu.

After a while, his chakra ran out and Itachi had to stop. Anxious for his father's approval, Itachi turned around. His father was wearing an expression Itachi had never seen before.

It was pride.

Warmth flooded Itachi when he realized that he had pleased his father.

A moment passed before his father nodded. "You have done well."

Itachi's breath caught. His father had praised him. "Thank you, Chichi-ue."

"Hm."

"I will persevere in my training, and bring prestige and honor to the clan."

His father regarded him thoughtfully. "I'll help you achieve that task."

Itachi straightened further, his heart speeding up in anticipation. "I'm honored, Chichi-ue," he said politely, all the while suppressing his excitement that his father would help him.

"Hm." After a moment, he asked, "Let me see your Sharingan."

Itachi nodded once and with not much effort, activated his bloodline limit. His father stared into his eyes thoughtfully.

"One tomoe."

Feeling a little disconcerted by his father's bland tone, Itachi asked, "Should there be more?"

"Two more, Itachi. Two more."

* * *

A month had passed since Itachi succeeded in executing the fire jutsu, since his father had acknowledged him as an adult. When he walked around the Uchiha compound, he had received praises after praises of how well he had done as the youngest Uchiha to master the technique, at five years old plus a few months. Since then, his father seemed to be more interested in his training. Itachi was glad, for this meant that he could advance faster.

It was still very early in the morning, the sun just peeking from the horizon, but Itachi was already at the backyard, practicing his taijutsu. The routine was one he carried out each morning before departing for his lessons in the Academy. Each day, without fail, he followed a strict regime. He would wake up before dawn to practice taijutsu, then turning up to the Academy, followed by ninjutsu training in the afternoons, and then practice his doujutsu with his father just before dinner. Nighttime was dedicated to reviewing his Academy lessons, however, more often than not, he would end up going beyond what was taught in the Academy.

When he finished his routine training, he began to walk back home. Much to his surprise, he found his father standing just outside the house with another man, one with scars on his face and an obscured eye. Both his father and the man were staring at him as he approached.

Itachi's steps halted. "Chichi-ue," he greeted.

"Itachi, this is Danzou. He runs the ANBU Root Division."

Itachi bowed. "I am honored to meet you, Danzou-san."

Danzou inclined his head in acknowledgement. Then he turned to the older Uchiha. "I will say this again, Uchiha-san. It is best if he joins our division fully."

"No. Itachi would remain in this clan." His tone was uncompromising. "I understand your reasoning, but Itachi will not leave."

Somewhat confused by the conversation, Itachi continued to listen intently. What did Danzou mean by joining that division?

"Uchiha-san. I have to warn you that the conditioning might not be successful. If Itachi remains in this clan, he would be in an uncontrolled environment. This might give rise to… conflicts."

"Itachi will do what he needs to do in the training." His father directed a warning look at him before continuing, "He will obey. But first and foremost, he is an Uchiha, and thus will remain in this compound. Otherwise, you may do as you see fit. No one would not interfere with the training."

Danzou nodded. "Very well then."

* * *

Something was bothering him. Frowning in discomfort, Itachi rolled over on his futon, his five-year-old body barely making a dent in it. His senses told him that something was wrong. But what?

Then he heard the soft shuffle of something against the tatami mat.

His eyes shot open to see flashes of red. Stunned, he did not react immediately. Then, when he finally got a hold on himself, he found two dark figures looming over him. Their aura was threatening. Who were these people? He could not see their faces, only their concealing masks.

Heart racing, he tried to scramble off his futon. But before he could do so, a large hand gripped his forearm. His eyes widened in alarm when another hand clamped over his mouth. There was no time to protest, no time to fetch the kunai he had left next to the shoji screen.

Refusing to surrender, Itachi began to struggle. He sank his fingers into the wrist, trying to pry it from his mouth so that he could call for help. But they were too strong, too big and he was too weak to even break free from their hold. His panic grew as he found himself dragged backwards towards the window. As much as he tried to stop, his bare feet found no purchase on the tatami mat.

A fist landed in his stomach, and he doubled over in pain.

Then those hands were gone.

Horror suffused his features when he realized that he was flying through the air out of the window. Before he could scream, his back hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of him. Soon, he skidded to a stop. Stunned, he could only lay there, trying to catch his breath. What was happening to him?

Then they were there again, casting their dark shadows over him, blocking the moonlight.

With a strangled gasp, Itachi got to his feet and began to run. It was simply not possible for him to fight them at his skill level. He needed to get away from them to find help.

"Help!" he shouted frantically. "Somebody HELP ME!"

He rushed to the nearest door and started to pound on it. "Please!"

Before he could call out again, he was yanked away from the building. A fist met his jaw, snapping his head back as a string of blood escaped his lips. Then once again, he flew through the air until he hit the solid wall surrounding the Uchiha compound. Sliding down the wall, he gasped at the piercing pain in his side. He must have broken something.

His eyes snapped up to find those two figures approaching him slowly. Choking back a groan, he tried to get up, only to fall back down when he realized that his legs were not working. His frantic eyes glanced past them in search of help.

"Someone…help me!" he gasped, hating how weak he sounded, hating how vulnerable he felt.

He was the Uchiha heir. He was supposed to be strong.

Then he saw the movements from the houses. Windows opened briefly and then quickly slamming down again. His lips parted in confusion. They saw him being hurt, but why did they not come out to help him? He felt sick and his vision swam. Rubbing his eyes, he turned to the other side.

In one of the open windows, he caught a glimpse of his uncle. Hope instantly coursed through him.

"Ojii-san… OJII-SAN!" he called out desperately.

To his horror, that window slammed shut as well.

"W-Why…" he whispered, hardly noticing the two blurry figures that had stopped in front of him. Why were they not helping him? Why did they slam their windows shut?

"Uchiha Itachi."

He glanced up at the owner of the voice, at one of the masked men. They knew him. They knew his name.

"Why?" he asked shakily.

"A shinobi must always remain alert and prepared, regardless of the time and place," the masked man said tonelessly.

The other man knelt down before him. "A shinobi must also remain independent of others. Remember this lesson well."

Itachi stared at them wordlessly as they disappeared as abruptly as they appeared. Although his entire body burned with his wounds, he could only sit there, as still as a statue as those words sank in. Lesson? That was a lesson?

His vision swam further. He needed to go home but he had no energy to pick himself up. So he just sat there against the cold wall.

He just sat there numbly as the sun came up.

He must have fallen asleep, because when he opened his eyes again, his mother was hovering over him. Her face was twisted in horror as her hand flew to her mouth.

"Itachi! What happened to you?" she choked out in anguish, landing on her knees beside him.

Pain clouded his mind, but Itachi wondered how she would react if he called out for her aid. Would she ignore him the way the rest had done last night? He was not certain if he could face that reaction from her.

So, wordlessly, he averted his eyes and stood up without her aid.

He would learn the lesson well.

* * *

The moon shone brightly in the backdrop of inky sky, casting odd shadows in his room. It was annoying, how those shadows danced against the walls and the floor, making him see what was not there.

Laid on his futon, he drew his eyes away from the window to stare at the patterns on the ceiling. His eyes were sore and his mind felt clouded, but he could not allow himself to sleep. A kunai was gripped tight in his right hand and his left hand rested on the pouch which contained his shuriken. He did not know when they would come, so he had learnt to be permanently on guard.

He could not afford to do otherwise.

Four months had passed since they first came to him. Since then, he had spent many sleepless nights in this room. But he was better at it now. He learnt his lesson. Being observant, alert and fully prepared were now second nature to him. They could never even make it into his bedroom nowadays.

Not again.

He did not know how long he had laid there, but at some point, he must have fallen asleep because when he opened his eyes, the moon was no longer in the sky. Bolting into a sitting position, Itachi scanned his room. To his relief, he sensed nothing untoward.

They had not come.

His eyes traveled out of the window again, registering that the sun would soon rise. Getting up, he swiftly prepared himself for the day and walked out of his room. He would go to the backyard to practice his taijutsu before breakfast.

He paused at a small mirror gracing the wall in the hallway. He blinked once and onyx was replaced by crimson. There were two tomoes in each eye now, something that had happened since that night he was dragged out of his bed.

Tearing his eyes away from his reflection, Itachi deactivated his Sharingan and went to the back of the house.

"Good morning, Itachi," his mother greeted when he entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, Okaa-san."

When her eyes swept over his features, Itachi could almost feel her concern. But she had never said anything. In fact, no one commented on the grooves beneath his eyes, even though he could tell that those lines were deepening with each passing day. Sleepless nights tended to do that, he supposed.

His mother opened her mouth as if to speak, only to be distracted by a loud wail from the direction of the bedroom. Sasuke was awake, it seemed, Itachi noted with some amusement. With a quick smile at him, his mother rushed out of the kitchen.

And so, Itachi walked out of the house, intent on commencing his training for the day.

* * *

Itachi was seven, and had just been made a genin a few weeks ago. It had not been hard to graduate. In fact, it was so easy that he wondered what all the fuss was about. The dangers in the Forest of Death were nothing compared to the training he had undergone with the ANBU Root.

As he left the training grounds, his eyes were drawn towards the group of genin, old and new, gathered some distance away. In the laughing crowd, Itachi picked out a few faces he recognized, Mitarashi Anko, Umino Iruka, Gekkou Hayate, Uzuki Yuugao, Kamizuki Izumo and even Uchiha Shisui. All of them were a few years older than him, including his two new genin teammates, which appeared to be lost in the genin crowd.

Although Itachi was not anywhere close to them, he could clearly hear their words.

Unsurprisingly, Anko's voice was the loudest. "Hey, let's try out that new dango stall. It's the best food in Konoha."

"What are you talking about, Anko? Dango? The ramen in Ichiraku is much better," Iruka said with a chuckle.

"Meh! Food, food, food. Is that all you can talk about? If you're not careful, Anko, you'll end up a fat pig of a kunoichi," Izumo taunted.

Anko flared up. "What are you saying, huh?!" she demanded threateningly.

Hayate coughed loudly into his hands. "Uh, why don't we just do dango today?" he suggested nervously.

Beaming, Anko patted Hayate's shoulder. "That's more like it."

Hayate gave her a weak smile in response.

Deciding that he had heard enough, Itachi spun around and walked away. They were wasting time discussing food when they could train. Still, what they wished to do with their time was none of his business, as long as they did not involve him.

Walking down the familiar route, Itachi steadily made his way to the Uchiha compound. Although the streets were almost empty, as per usual at this time of the day, his senses were fully alert. There was no telling what was the task set by Danzou today.

A shift in the air made him spin around abruptly. His eyes immediately focused on the approaching rain of shuriken. In a fraction of a second, he brought out a handful of kunai to deflect the flying weapons. As the metal fell to the ground with sharp clangs, Itachi turned to face to masked ANBU Root. These must be his trainers for the day, he surmised.

One of them nodded. "Could be faster, but acceptable."

Itachi simply regarded him wordlessly. Past sessions had thought him that it was best not to say too much. They would only use it against him in some way.

"Follow us," the other one said. "We will train in the forest to the north."

Nodding, Itachi followed them.

* * *

An eight-year-old Itachi glanced sideways at Sasuke. The boy was standing on a boulder, his eyes shining in excitement as he watched the flying kunai. Sasuke had insisted on following him out on his training session this morning and his mother had allowed it.

The boy was only three, but he already wanted to be a ninja. Idly, Itachi wondered if Sasuke was aware of what it took to become one. Being a mediocre ninja was one thing, but to excel in the field, one had to be determined, ruthless, and willing to sacrifice just about anything to do so. Would Sasuke be able to cope with such a pressure?

No. Sasuke was different. He was too happy and content to ever be strong, but Itachi was not angry with his brother. In fact, his brother's innocence was a refreshing change from all the expectations the rest of the clan have on him.

Then a stray thought entered his mind. Much as he disliked to think about it, Itachi could not help but wonder if their father would subject Sasuke to the same sort of training as he had gone through over the last three years. A chill ran up his spine at the thought.

"Nii-san, can you do that again?"

"Hm?"

Bouncing animatedly on his toes, Sasuke pointed at the kunai in lodged in the tree trunk. "That!"

He had been practicing his kunai aims just moments ago. Deciding to humor his little brother, Itachi nodded and walked towards the trees to retrieve the weapons.

It was then that he sensed it.

Activating his Sharingan, Itachi twisted to the side, catching a gleaming kunai by its handle as it whizzed past his ears. Taking on a fight stance, his eyes sharpened until he saw the two ANBU Root operatives standing before them. Killing intent emanated from their very beings, telling Itachi that they would attack at any moment.

Sasuke! They had never done this while he was with someone else. Any training was done while he was alone. Sasuke was not able to protect himself against the attacks, but surely they would not involve his brother.

But he had no time to form another thought because one of the Root members was headed straight towards him. Reacting immediately, Itachi flicked the kunai he had caught earlier, forcing the ANBU to substitute himself. But it did not deter him for long, for in seconds, the ANBU was back, this time forming seals for a genjutsu. Itachi retaliated with a fire jutsu, and before the ANBU could complete the seals, the fireballs distracted him.

"NII-SAN!"

Itachi snapped around at the childish cry, eyes narrowing when he saw the other ANBU holding Sasuke up by his collar.

"Let him go," he yelled.

"Tsk… tsk… Itachi. Have you learnt nothing about attachment?" the ANBU asked silkily, ignoring the now-crying Sasuke.

Itachi ground his teeth together. His first lesson had been about independence, and later, it had been made clear to him that attachments could only weaken him. But did they truly expect him to allow his three-year-old brother to suffer at their hands?

"N-Nii-san?" Sasuke whimpered.

Shaking him again, the ANBU mused, "Quite a dependent brat, isn't he? I wonder if he'll toughen up over the years."

"I said, let him go!" Itachi snapped, his fists clenching by his side.

An almost imperceptible flare of chakra took his attention away from his brother then. Spinning around, he found himself facing the first ANBU. Itachi's eyes widened slightly at the handful of senbon in the ANBU's hand. He managed to flip away just in time to avoid the first wave of the weapon.

A terrified cry rang through the air then. Itachi glanced over his shoulders to find Sasuke clutching his arm where a senbon had pierced him. A moment later, the ANBU pressed his fingers to the back of Sasuke's neck, instantly knocking the small boy unconscious. Anger surged through Itachi at the sight and he darted towards his brother, intent on removing him from harm's way.

However, the ANBU intercepted him before he could get to Sasuke. It did not matter. As long as they were occupied with him, Sasuke would be left alone, Itachi thought as he twisted away from the ANBU's katana. A kunai held in each hand, he continued to slash at them. He could feel the desperation rushing through him as he blocked blow after blow from the ANBU, all the while trying to avoid being stabbed in the back by the other ANBU. They were fast and there were two of them, and he was feeling increasingly overwhelmed.

He had to do something before they got the upper hand. He had to subdue them no matter what.

Then he felt it.

It began as a slow warmth enveloping his eyes. The unfamiliar sensation distracted him, allowing one of the ANBU to land a hit in his stomach. Gasping, eyes squeezed shut, Itachi doubled over in pain. Knowing that he had to move, he executed a substitution jutsu, reappearing some distance away.

Then he snapped open his eyes and flipped up onto his feet.

His lips parted in astonishment as the two figures before him came into sharp focus. Something was different with his eyes. Everything was suddenly clearer, and he could tell exactly where the ANBU Roots were moving even before they lifted their feet. Raising his hands, Itachi executed a water jutsu to push them back. Satisfaction washed over him when the two ANBU retreated immediately, their postures displaying their shock.

This time, Itachi did not wait for them to approach. He was no longer in a defensive position and he had every intention of making the most of it. These two would regret crossing his path.

He struck out at them, his movements swift and sure. Then it was as if they sensed the change, because they began to retreat. But Itachi had no intention of allowing them to do so. He had enough of them taunting him, pushing him constantly without any reprieve. It was time to show them that they should not underestimate him.

His seals came faster than before, fuelled by adrenaline and the urge to best his two opponents. From the pattern of their chakra, Itachi could tell that the two ANBU Root were clearly anxious.

"Stop, Uchiha!" one of them bit out.

"You underestimated me," Itachi said flatly. "And you overestimated yourself."

They traded blows after blow, and Itachi barely felt the crunch of their bones under his fists as he struck out at them. A shaft of light distracted him momentarily, and the next thing Itachi saw was the gleaming blade of a katana headed towards him. Reacting instantly, he twisted out of the way, elbowing the ANBU as he did so.

Taking advantage of the ANBU's brief distraction, Itachi executed a quick genjutsu, catching the two ANBU at the same time. They reeled back immediately but Itachi gave them no time to recover. Instead, his arm snapped out to grab the hilt of the katana, yanking it away from the ANBU. Holding the weapon in both hands, Itachi aimed.

His two opponents managed to break out of the genjutsu just as Itachi swung the katana down, but it was too late for them. The sharp blade sliced through the neck of one, and then ran diagonally through the chest of the other ANBU.

Itachi hardly registered the choked gurgle bursting from their mouths, he could only see the thick red blood running down the previously-gleaming blade, down the hilt to coat his hands. It was not long before the two bodies fell to the ground with dull thuds, and then there was silence.

He killed them.

The next thing to hit the ground was the katana, followed swiftly by his knees. Shaking uncontrollably, Itachi glanced down at his bloody hands. He had killed for the first time. Slowly, numbly, he wiped his hands on the grass. The redness refused to go away.

Standing up, he rushed to the nearby stream and submerged his hands. The cool water was instantly tinged red, and Itachi watched as it turned pink and then there was no sign at all that his hands had been bloody.

Numbly, he returned to the spot where Sasuke had fallen. Kneeling down, he gathered his unconscious brother in his arms and stood up. The boy was unharmed, and would hopefully not remember this incident. Somehow, Itachi did not like the notion of Sasuke losing his innocence so soon.

The way he had lost _his_ own innocence.

* * *

It was a gloomy afternoon, with the sky threatening to break and pour down.

Disregarding the weather, Itachi continued to practice his ninjutsu by the lake. Having mastered the Goukakyuu-no-Jutsu, he was now moving on to Housenka-no-Jutsu. Standing at the end of the pier, his hands formed the necessary seals in a blur. He had learnt that speed was essential in executing these attacks, otherwise the enemy would have a greater chance of disrupting it.

Seals complete, he called out in a level voice, "Katon: Housenka-no-Jutsu."

A series of small fireballs erupted outwards, traveling some distance before the flames died out. Itachi frowned. This would not do. The range was too small. It was an easy jutsu for him, but he knew that he could improve it.

As Itachi continued to work on the jutsu, memories of what happened a few days ago invaded his mind. The incident in the forest continued to plague him, but he had told no one of it. No one had asked.

A brief feeling of guilt stabbed at Itachi when he recalled their deaths before he quickly brushed it away. Killing was part of a shinobi's life, and that exercise was part of his training. By killing them, he proved that he had surpassed his trainers, which meant that they no longer deserved to be his trainers even if they were still alive. ANBU Root had to send someone more skilled if they wished to train him.

"Itachi."

Itachi paused in the middle of forming his seals. Turning around, he found his mother at the end of the pier. Wondering what could have brought his mother out here, he walked towards her.

"Okaa-san?"

"Your father wants to see you in the hall."

Itachi nodded. Without another word, he followed his mother back to the house. When he reached the shoji screen leading to the hall, Itachi glanced down at himself. Deciding that he was presentable, he tapped softly on the screen. Once told to enter, he slid the screen open and stepped in. His eyes immediately went to the second figure sat on a cushion opposite his father in the hall.

Danzou.

After gracing the two older men with respectful bows, Itachi knelt beside his father, his eyes not leaving the man opposite them.

"Danzou-san. Now that Itachi is here, you may begin. What brings you here? Is his performance lacking?"

Itachi fought to keep his expression impassive. Until now, his father still doubted his abilities? What else did he have to do to prove himself worthy? Much to his relief, Danzou shook his head.

"On the contrary, Uchiha-san. I had expected this environment…" Danzou paused as he gestured around them. "This family environment to interfere with the training, to bring forth a conflict within himself, but Itachi's performance is flawless."

"Then what is the issue?" his father asked levelly.

"Uchiha-san. I'm afraid we're unable to continue Itachi's training."

Puzzlement coursed through him. Stop the training that he had begun only three years ago? The training had not been pleasant, but he knew that it had helped a lot in sharpening his skills. And now, with Danzou's announcement, Itachi did not know what to think. So he simply waited for the conversation to progress further.

His father's brows furrowed. "Why is that so?"

"Two ANBU Root trainers were found dead in the forest a few days ago. They were not supposed to be on active duty at that time."

Itachi instantly masked his surprise. Should he deny all knowledge of this? But that was a cowardly move, a move that Itachi had no wish to take.

"And how is this relevant?"

Danzou adopted a stern look. "The mysterious deaths of the two ANBU Roots are causing problems, especially since this training was not sanctioned by the Sandaime in the first place. The Hokage is already considering abolishing ANBU Root. "

"Their deaths…" his father repeated thoughtfully.

"The Sandaime is suspicious of the… circumstances surrounding the murder, but I've said nothing to him. After all, I have no proof of who killed them," Danzou said smoothly. "And it would remain that way."

"Danzou-san. This training is a clan issue, something agreed between you and I. It should not concern the Sandaime."

"Nevertheless, we cannot ignore the deaths." Danzou inhaled deeply. "There is nothing I can do about it. You must understand that I have to protect my own interest as well."

"Hm."

Getting to his feet, Danzou bowed. "That was all I came to say. I must leave now."

Standing up, his father nodded. "Very well."

With that, Danzou left the hall, leaving Itachi alone with his father. A long moment of thoughtful silence passed as they stared at each other. Itachi had no doubt that his father would now address the issue of the deaths of those ANBU. He was not disappointed.

"What have you done?" his father asked.

"Whatever that was necessary."

"You killed them?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes."

To his confusion, his father looked troubled at his response. Had he not done what he was meant to do? After all, that was part of the training was it not? He was expected to defend himself, and the most efficient way to do so was to eliminate his opponents, to ensure that they would not return to bother him. Still, his father would be pleased to know that he had obtained the full Sharingan at such a young age.

"Sasuke was there, and I had to protect him," Itachi explained. Then he activated his Sharingan to show him the three tomoes. "Then this happened."

His father's eyes widened slightly. "It evolved into a full Sharingan in that fight?"

"Yes, Chichi-ue."

For a moment, his father simply stared at him. Then slowly, a proud smile crossed his lips. Itachi's lips parted in surprise when his father closed the distance between them and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"You are my son indeed."

The praise was something that he had always wanted from his father. All that took was for him to activate the third tomoe of his Sharingan? Itachi felt as if he had waited forever to hear those words of acknowledgement. But now that he did, it was not quite what he had expected.

He did not expect it to feel so… hollow.

* * *

A/N: In the spirit of keeping the style as canon as possible, I've indulged in a bit of flashback (I can almost hear the groans now!). As I've plotted out Itachi's past life months ago and have stopped reading the manga at about chapter 398, it is likely that there would be quite a lot of discrepancies. The flashbacks will end next chapter and the story will move on, you'd be glad to know! Anyway, hope you've enjoyed the chapter and if you can, please review. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Yes, I know I'm a wee bit late on the update (smiles sheepishly). I have family visitors in my house and it's a bit hard to get away to write. To make up for it, this chapter is even longer than the last one. Also, thanks so much for your reviews on the last chapter and here is the next one. Hope you'll enjoy it.

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 27**

"Nii-san! You promised to practice shuriken with me," the four-year old Sasuke whined.

The nine-year old Itachi smiled slightly. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. But I have something important to do now."

"Maybe tomorrow?" Sasuke asked hopefully.

"Maybe."

Then he stood up and walked away. The smile on his lips gradually faded as he distanced himself from his brother.

He never had any intention of practicing any ninja art with his brother. It was something that he had thought long and hard about. Sasuke was close to that age when he, Itachi, had begun to train in preparation for the Academy. If Sasuke did not show any 'promise', then their father would let him be. Their father would not send Sasuke to Danzou or anyone else for additional training.

Stepping out of the house, Itachi made his way to the Hokage Tower. There, he would meet with his genin teammates and their jounin instructor to see if there was any mission to be done.

"Look here, if it isn't Itachi," the elderly woman greeted cheerfully.

Itachi forced himself to smile back. He could not help but remember that time a few years ago that this woman was one of those who had slammed the window shut when he called for help. He understood now that it had been a necessary part of his training, but he could still feel the taste of betrayal on his tongue.

The woman's son stepped out from their house. The boy was only about three years older than him, if he remembered correctly. Used to this sort of reaction, Itachi simply stared at him impassively as the boy glared at him.

The boy's tone was mocking when he spat, "What are you doing here, Itachi? Not practicing any new jutsu to show off?"

The woman spun around to slap the back of her son's head. "Do not talk like that to Itachi! YOU should be the one practicing! When are you going to learn from Itachi? He was only seven when he became a genin. You're now twelve and you haven't even graduated from the Academy!" she scolded. "You're useless!"

"Okaa-san!" the boy complained as he rubbed the back of his head. "Don't compare me with him. He's a freak!"

"Don't say such things! Itachi's the pride of our clan! He's the one leading us all in the future."

There was nothing new about what she was saying. He had heard this conversation over and over again, albeit with different families. But Itachi did not want to listen anymore, so he began to walk away.

A bitter smile crossed his lips. So, he was the pride of the clan, huh? Yes, he supposed that the statement was accurate. After all, they had all played a part in his training, in pushing him towards his current skill level. They needed to do so because they needed someone to stand for the Uchiha name, even though those Uchihas around his age resented him for it.

That was also why he was isolated.

When one was as skilled as he was, isolation was inevitable. Within the clan, he was regarded as a prodigy, the one who brought them prestige, the one who put the Uchiha name above all other shinobi. It may be an arrogant thing to think of, but Itachi knew that it was nothing but the truth. His skills were something they took pride in. He was doing this so that they could hold their heads up high while walking down the streets of Konoha.

He was fully aware of the looks the rest of the genin gave him, even his own teammates. Those looks displayed their envy, mixed with a little fear. They were wise to be cautious, for he rarely held back during training or missions. Why should he? He had learnt from an early age that one needed to be pushed to excel, the way he had been pushed. The group of genin around him had obviously not learnt such a thing, and thus, their skills were below his.

Without him, they would still be doing D-Rank missions, instead of their usual C-Rank or B-Rank missions. Although B-Rank missions were not the norm for genin teams, the Sandaime had seen enough of his performance to allocate such missions to them when he was a part of the team.

Without him, they would simply be another regular, unremarkable genin team.

Brushing away the thoughts, he continued his journey to the Hokage Tower. It was pointless to mull over the actions of the others. They did not matter to him. He would make sure that they did not matter to him.

"Oi! Uchiha Itachi."

Itachi's steps slowed, but he did not stop. A moment later, Shisui was walking beside him. Glancing sideways, Itachi wondered what the older Uchiha wanted.

"I'm Shisui."

"I know."

Shisui grinned. "We're all genin but we haven't spoken much, huh?"

"Hm." What did Shisui want from him?

"So, are you thinking of taking the chuunin exams?" Shisui asked, obviously unconcerned by his lack of response.

"Perhaps."

"Oh, come on, Itachi. I know you've just been made a genin, and I've been one for a few years, but you should take it. Then we can train together."

Itachi stopped. Reining in his confusion, he turned around to face Shisui fully. "Why?"

"Eh?" Shisui scratched the back of his head, looking puzzled. "Why? We can train together, right? After all, we're both Uchihas, and we need to show the rest of them just how good we are."

The Uchiha name again, Itachi thought numbly. Everything seemed to come back to that name and the clan.

"So, what do you say?"

Itachi shrugged. He supposed it all depended on how skilled Shisui was. It would be pointless to train with someone weaker.

"We could meet tomorrow at the forest training grounds," Shisui suggested.

"Hm."

Shisui beamed. "When?"

"An hour before dawn."

* * *

He was ten, and was now a chuunin.

His father had been raising the topic of him joining ANBU. As far as Itachi was concerned, he knew that such a thing was a certainty. However, he wondered how his father would feel if he had known the truth about ANBU. Such shinobi lived for their missions and gave their life to it. There was no room for family, friendship or clans.

It was exactly what Itachi wanted. Besides, ANBU operatives ranked higher and answered directly to the Hokage.

"Hey, Itachi!"

He turned around to find Shisui jogging towards him. Ever since their meeting a year ago, the older boy had been a permanent fixture in his life. Much as he tried, Itachi had not been able to get rid of Shisui's presence.

Then Itachi grew used to it. He grew used to their training sessions together and the meal they would go for afterwards. Itachi would even admit that he admired Shisui's skills and his tenacity. Granted, the other Uchiha was a few years older than him, but Itachi was seldom impressed. Excluding a handful of jounin, Shisui was the only one who could challenge him and give him a good fight.

"Did you see what happened today between those two?"

Frowning slightly, Itachi shook his head. "What happened?"

Shisui huffed in exasperation. "Hayate and Yuugao were making out at the lake!"

Itachi stared at his cousin, wondering just how this was relevant to him. What was so interesting about that? Why Shisui found it necessary to point such a thing out?

"Never mind," Shisui finally muttered, waving a dismissive hand around. "You're beyond help."

Itachi decided not to comment.

* * *

Itachi was eleven years old when he made it into ANBU. Since his acceptance, he had spent less time in Konoha and more time on external, high rank missions. And less time with Shisui who, to everyone's surprise, had failed the ANBU entrance examination.

In time, S-ranked and unranked missions were the norm for Itachi.

Such as the one he was currently returning from. It was his third assassination mission but for the first time, he was returning alone. His teammates had been careless enough to allow themselves to be caught off guard. Although Itachi had managed to avoid being caught in the same trap, he had not been able to warn his teammates in time.

Gritting his teeth, Itachi continued to run towards Konoha, ignoring the throbbing pain in his right shoulder. He had taken a katana through the fleshy part, and it was fortunate that no bones were severed. However, the rest of his body was peppered with other numerous shallow wounds. It was clear that he required medical treatment, which he would get once he arrived at Konoha. Despising the dependence on someone else, Itachi vowed to learn simple healing jutsu the moment he had the chance.

Still, even with the casualties, the objective of the mission had been accomplished. The target had been cleanly assassinated by himself and would no longer cause any problems for Konoha. He was proud of his own ability, although it irked him that this successful mission would probably bring more prestige to his clan.

His lips instantly curled in distaste at the thought. His clan was weak. And like leeches, they were simply parasites which hung off him for the taste of glory. And to further the insult, they always expected him to obey their orders unquestioningly.

Why did he need to obey them when they were weaker than him?

His thoughts were broken abruptly when he sensed a foreign presence. His entire body stilled immediately.

There was someone nearby, someone who was watching him. Itachi gripped his katana securely and slowly, he turned around. There was a shinobi standing some distance away. His light colored hair was held back by a Rain hitai-ate, and there were what looked like studs adorning the sides of his nose. From what Itachi could tell, this shinobi was around the same age as he was.

"Uchiha Itachi."

Itachi stiffened. This person recognized him even though he was wearing his ANBU mask? "Who are you?" he asked flatly.

"I saw the battle. Your skills are impressive, but then again, I expected no less."

Itachi frowned slightly at his evasive answer. "Why are you here?"

"To watch you. I've seen what I needed to see, though." A thoughtful paused followed. "He was right about you."

He? Who was the Rain shinobi referring to? Deciding not to say anything, Itachi simply waited for the Rain shinobi's next move.

The Rain shinobi gestured at his shoulder wound. "You'd better get that treated." He took a step backwards before he said, "We will meet again."

With that, the stranger performed a transportation jutsu and disappeared.

How odd, Itachi thought.

Dismissing the encounter, Itachi continued to make his way back to Konoha. Soon enough, he was staggering towards the Hokage Tower, intent on making his report so that he could seek the necessary treatment and then go home.

"Itachi."

Itachi stopped at the sound of the familiar voice. Turning around, he greeted his old friend, "Shisui."

Shisui's eyes ran up and down his body, growing wider by the second. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Mission."

"Yeah, I can see that! But what happened?"

Itachi shook his head. "Confidential ANBU mission."

Shisui blinked. "Oh." After a moment, he said, "You better get those wounds looked at."

"I will." Itachi smiled slightly. It was then that he realized that he actually missed his friend. Unlike the rest of the Uchihas, Shisui did not want anything from him except company.

"Thank you, Shisui."

His friend grinned. "Go and make your report. I'll wait down here for you, alright?"

* * *

A few months later, Itachi once again found himself the object of observation. This time, he was training on his own in the forest. Without warning, he flicked a handful of shuriken in the direction of his observer before turning around.

To his surprise, he found himself facing the Rain shinobi he had met once after his ANBU mission.

"Impressive. I masked my chakra and yet you can sense it," the shinobi drawled as he stepped into full view.

Itachi did not relax. "You are trespassing."

Completely unperturbed, the metal studded shinobi simply smiled. "Indeed I am."

"What are your intentions?"

"I bear no ill intent. I simply came here with an invitation."

Itachi's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Explain."

"Your skills could be better utilized. Konoha doesn't deserve you. Our organization does."

"Is that so?" Itachi intoned flatly.

"Consider it. I will return to speak to you again."

"Who are you?"

"Call me Pein."

Without another word, the shinobi disappeared in a flash.

Itachi frowned slightly at the odd encounter, but then soon brushed it aside in favor of continuing his training. After all, he did not sense any malicious intent from that shinobi.

Hours passed as he trained, and soon, it was time to return home. Casting a brief glance at the setting sun, Itachi began his journey back. It was not long before he arrived at his family home. To his surprise, his father was at the door.

"Chichi-ue," he greeted quietly.

Inclining his head, his father asked, "Where were you?"

"Training."

"Hm." After a short pause, his father continued, "Itachi, there's something the clan needs you to do tomorrow."

Itachi kept his expression impassive, not wanting to give away his annoyance. "I'm afraid I must decline."

"What are you talking about, Itachi?" his father ground out angrily. "You cannot decline."

"Chichi-ue, I have a mission tomorrow."

His father's expression was forbidding. "A mission."

Itachi stared at him unflinchingly. "An ANBU mission."

He did not have one, but by tonight, he would make sure that he had one lined up.

* * *

Itachi was twelve when he stood in front of the Hokage.

"Congratulations. You are promoted to captain."

No doubt his clan would be pleased about this promotion. After all, that was what they wished for, his ascension in the Leaf shinobi ranks. Idly, he wondered what his father would say. It was not as if he really cared that much, he was simply curious.

Forcing himself back to the present, Itachi inclined his head at the Sandaime. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"There is no need to thank me. With your skills, it was just a matter of time before you made it."

Itachi nodded.

"Come back tomorrow morning and I'll introduce you to your new team."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

With that, Itachi bowed and exited the office. Silently, he walked away from the Hokage Tower towards the Uchiha compound. He should inform his father of this latest development. His father would certainly want to know this. But somehow, he could not be bothered. If his father wished to know, he was more than capable of finding out about it on his own.

"Itachi."

Recognizing the voice, Itachi glanced up to find Danzou walking towards him. He waited for the older man to speak.

"I heard the rumors."

"What rumor?"

"You are made an ANBU captain. Is it true?"

"Aa."

"Congratulations. You've done well."

"I strive to do so."

"I know." After a pause, Danzou continued, "Your Sharingan could be improved."

Could this be the same thing Pein had spoken to him about just a few weeks ago? The technique which required him to eliminate his closest friend? Wondering just how much Danzou knew, Itachi asked, "How?"

Danzou raised a brow. "You do not know?"

When he did not respond, a thoughtful expression crossed Danzou's face. "Ah, I understand. They must have made it a forbidden technique."

Deciding to feign ignorance, Itachi asked, "What technique?"

"The Mangekyou Sharingan. The most powerful of all Sharingan."

"I have not heard of it."

"It is rare. Perhaps the technique is lost."

"Perhaps it is."

With that, he walked away. It made sense that Danzou wanted him to seek out this new power, but Itachi refused to obey these sorts of commands. He would do so when he was ready, not because someone else dictated it to him.

That was the reason he did not want to join the Akatsuki.

The Rain shinobi, Pein, had approached him regularly in the past few months with the same invitation and yet, Itachi had refused. He did not see the benefit in joining yet another organization. After all, it would only mean that he had to obey another person's instructions.

He had had enough of obeying. His life was his own, and his strength was his own to use as he saw fit. Not to serve his clan, or some unknown organization.

The only reason he had remained in ANBU was because so far, ANBU provided him with enough challenge to continue in his role in it. His missions gave him sufficient exposure to gain the necessary knowledge to improve himself. If that changed, then he would seek another path to attain strength.

* * *

The moonlight shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the surface of the Nakano River and the path Itachi was taking. It was a peaceful night, but peace was the last thing Itachi felt. Journeying home from the assassination mission he had completed earlier that day, he could not help but ponder upon his father's harsh words before dawn.

Did it really matter if he did not turn up for the clan meeting? What could possibly be so important that he had to be there? And even if it was that important, his father could always inform him of the pertinent facts. His presence was not necessary, especially when he had something more important to do. He could not reject the ANBU mission, after all, considering his role as a captain. And even if he could, he would not do so, for his regard for ANBU missions was higher than his regard for his foolish clan's demands.

Besides, his father was the one who had pushed him to join ANBU. And now that he was in, the clan wished to control him. It was an impossible situation. As an ANBU captain, he had the responsibility to carry out his missions without answering to his clan. Still, they insisted on pestering him, attempting to control him. Why were they holding him back for something so trivial like a clan meeting?

A quiet, almost imperceptible sound reached him, breaking into his thoughts. Itachi's senses immediately went on the alert. It was the sound of snapping twigs, telling him that he was not alone.

The sound came from his left, from the forested area next to the river. With a speed unsurpassed by anyone else he knew, Itachi blurred towards his stalker, his kunai flying ahead of him. A muffled cry sounded when his weapon found its mark just a fraction of a second before Itachi grabbed his stalker in an uncompromising chokehold.

Then his eyes widened in recognition. Although he could only see the back of his stalker's head, Itachi knew who it was. In his confusion, Itachi's arm loosened slightly.

"Shisui?"

"Let go, Itachi!"

Itachi released his hold. Shisui staggered a few steps away before spinning around. His expression was dark. To Itachi's surprise, Shisui was wearing the Konoha Military Police uniform. It was then that Itachi realized that he had not spent much time with Shisui ever since he had joined ANBU, and especially after his promotion to caption. They had not met up for a long time, and this was certainly not how Itachi had pictured their meeting.

What unsettled him most was the suspicious nature of this encounter. Why was Shisui trailing him?

"What's the meaning of this?" Itachi asked warily.

Shisui's expression remained unchanged. "What do you mean?"

"You were following me," Itachi pointed out. Shisui's ignorance was obviously an act.

"I was in the area."

Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction. Shisui dared to underestimate him by offering such a weak excuse? Itachi found it difficult to wrap his mind around Shisui's lies, not understanding why Shisui would do such a thing in the first place.

Keeping his voice even, Itachi intoned flatly, "You're lying. Your chakra was cloaked. It is still cloaked. So tell me the truth."

Shisui regarded him silently for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was cold. "What does it look like, Itachi? You're the genius, so you should be able to figure it out easily."

The tone of those words was enough to tell Itachi that something was very, very wrong. The Shisui he knew had never spoken to him in such a manner. He needed to know the reason behind his friend's odd behavior. What had changed over such a short time? What could have happened to turn Shisui into a stranger?

"Tell me why you're here, Shisui."

Shisui turned away from him. His eyes were fixed to the glassy surface of the river when he said, "You want to know why I'm here?"

Itachi tensed at Shisui's tone. "Tell me."

The Sharingan in Shisui's eyes activated when their eyes met.

"I'm here to kill you."

Itachi reined in his shock. Hardly believing what he had just heard, he simply stared at the other Uchiha.

Then it struck him.

Shisui had said more than once that they were best friends, almost brothers. In that case, the only motivation for Shisui to do such a thing was to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan. Was Pein involved in this? Or was it Danzou? Those two were the only ones who had brought up the subject with him.

"Pein asked you to do this?" Itachi asked icily.

"What? Who's Pein?"

Shisui's expression told Itachi that he truly did not know who Pein was. Instead of probing further, the older Uchiha unsheathed his katana. His intention to fight was clear and Itachi's lips thinned in displeasure.

"This is not necessary," Itachi intoned quietly. "It appears that there is a misunderstanding."

Shisui shook his head slowly. "There is no misunderstanding. When you're dead, I'll obtain the more powerful Sharingan, they will no longer have no reason to compare us."

With that, Shisui streaked towards him, his movement appearing as a mere flicker of light. Anticipating the attack, Itachi somersaulted up into the air away from his opponent. He then withdrew a handful of kunai, flicking them at Shisui before he landed on his feet. Metal clanged against metal as Shisui deflected each and every one of the kunai with his katana.

Eyes not leaving Shisui, Itachi pulled out his own katana from its sheath. They darted towards each other, their weapons clashing loudly as they twisted and turned in the attempt to emerge victorious. Shisui came at him relentlessly, his face twisted in determination and something else. Something else which could only be described as madness.

What had happened to him? But Itachi had no time to ask. His brief moment of contemplation had resulted in a deep gash in his thigh, drawing a hiss of pain from him as he jumped back. It was then that he realized that he would have to approach this as if he wished to kill the other Uchiha, otherwise he would lose. And he, Uchiha Itachi, never lost.

No, he would not allow himself to lose.

A fresh surge of adrenaline flooded his body as Itachi streaked towards Shisui. His battle reflexes were fully engaged now, and his movements automatic as he swung his katana at his opponent over and over again.

In what seemed like moments, Shisui was laying bleeding half on the ground, his legs dangling in the river, staring up at him with accusing eyes. Half-submerged in the water with his fingers clamped around the older Uchiha's neck, Itachi glared down breathlessly.

"You won. Again. How surprising," Shisui rasped bitterly.

"Why, Shisui?" Itachi gritted out, his hand clenching around the other Uchiha's neck.

"I need to be stronger than you. I didn't believe it, but he told me where to look. It's all in the scroll in the shrine," Shisui choked out. "Under the seventh tatami mat."

"He? Who is he?"

"He's-"

Shisui choked as blood sputtered out of his mouth, trickling down his cheek and into the flowing river water. His body spasmed as his chest rattled with each shallow drag of breath.

"Shisui!" Itachi hissed, hearing the unfamiliar desperation in his own voice, even though he did not understand where it was coming from.

Then everything went silent.

Numb, Itachi could only stare at the lifeless body before him. The river water swept past him, but he did not feel it. All he could feel was a growing mix of confusion and hatred.

Shisui's earlier words had prompted his anger, his hatred. It was clear that he would not have been able to kill his friend without the burning hatred in his heart. But Shisui had gone too far. Although Shisui had never fawned over him like the rest, his closest friend had deceived him, making him believe in something that did not exist. And for Shisui to end it all with the intent to kill him in order to obtain a higher level of Sharingan?

How despicable.

Itachi felt an unfamiliar feeling, a tightening in his chest. Head bowed, he tried to calm his breathing. Something tickled his face and he raised a hand to swipe it off.

There was a wetness against his cheeks.

Was he crying?

* * *

Sakura gasped out loud, her eyes shifting from the projected images of Itachi to the real Itachi. Only moments had passed since Madara executed the jutsu, but it felt like years. Even then, Sakura could not fail to notice just how fast her heart was beating. What she had seen was so clear, so real that there was no doubt that it was Itachi's memory. Was this what Madara meant by his full power? The ability to manipulate one's mind thoroughly the way he had done to Itachi's?

Locked in the technique, Itachi seemed almost frozen. But she could see the telltale tightness of his jaw as his memories continued to play out over the chamber. She knew without a doubt that he hated this. He hated having his vulnerabilities, his emotions displayed for everyone to see. But his unfocussed eyes also told her that he was unable to get out of it.

Her gaze went to the older Uchiha, noting with gritted teeth that Madara seemed to be enjoying the show. The bastard. Why the hell was he doing this to Itachi? Why the hell was he dragging all this out? Everyone else, namely Pein, Naruto and Gaara were also watching, each wearing stunned expression.

She had to stop it. But how?

The memories were coming out of Itachi, right? So if this was some sort of advanced mind manipulation, maybe inserting foreign chakra into Itachi would work. It was kind of like genjutsu after all, right?

She was about to dart towards Itachi when a steely hand clamped around her arm. A quick glance over her shoulder told her that it was Gaara.

"Don't."

"It can't go on like this," she hissed urgently.

"Why?" the Kazekage asked flatly. "A weakened Akatsuki benefits us."

Sakura swallowed hard, trying to not look away from the Kazekage's piercing eyes. Gaara's words made sense, but she could not accept it. Itachi was suffering through the pain and humiliation of this memories and she could not stand it.

In a measured voice, she said, "It's Madara that we have to worry about. Not Itachi. And we're wasting time like this."

Releasing her arms, Gaara slid his gaze towards the unmasked shinobi.

Sakura took the opportunity to close the distance between her and Itachi. Madara's eyes narrowed at her, but she ignored him.

"Itachi," she called out as she placed her hand on his arm cautiously.

When he did not show any signs of hearing her, she inserted a little of her chakra into him. "Itachi! Snap out of it!"

"Stop interfering!" Madara hissed.

She did not know what he did, but the next thing she knew, her vision blacked out and a piercing pain shot through her head.

"Sakura!"

A small cry escaped her lips as she fell to her knees. Naruto was beside her, his hands hovering worriedly over her. Her mental barrier came up just in time to block whatever it was that Madara was attempting to do to her. This time, Madara was pushing harder, and her inner self struggled to keep him at bay.

"You bastard! Leave Sakura alone!" Naruto shouted.

"None of you will interfere with this!" Madara snarled.

Breathless with the effort of keeping Madara at bay, Sakura lifted her eyes to the eerily realistic images projected above them, all the while thinking that she had to stop it.

* * *

Itachi stared at the scroll in the hidden underground compartment in the clan shrine. He found it under the seventh tatami mat at the far end of the room.

Mangekyou Sharingan. Everything he wished to know about it.

Who had told Shisui about this? Or Pein and Danzou? The information could only have come from an Uchiha, and one who had obviously obtained the Mangekyou. Knowing the clan's greed for prestige, no Uchiha would bypass the opportunity to strengthen themselves in such a way, even if it meant killing their best friend. Shisui was the proof of this.

And unwittingly, he, Uchiha Itachi, had done it.

Itachi turned away from the scroll, his brows furrowing in contemplation. As far as he knew, no Uchiha in the compound possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan, otherwise someone would have known about it. Therefore it could only mean that there was another Uchiha out there with the knowledge.

It was highly likely that this unknown Uchiha was affiliated with Pein and Danzou. After all, in their first meeting, Pein had let it slip that there was someone else behind the scenes. Was this the person who was attempting to manipulate them all? It was likely, for manipulation was not something new to those with the Uchiha blood.

Itachi's lips thinned.

He would find this person.

* * *

Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Inabi and Uchiha Tekka.

Those were the three who were foolish enough to come to his home, first to demand to know why he had been absent from the clan meeting last night. Then the topic of Shisui came up.

"You adored him like an elder brother, did you not?"

Itachi's lips twisted bitterly at the thought. Adored? Perhaps adoration a word for what he had felt for the other Uchiha. When they had been younger, he had simply admired was too strong Shisui's skills.

Itachi glanced down at the note they had given him, studying the unfamiliar words. 'I'm weary of the missions. At his rate, the Uchiha will have no future. And neither will I. Therefore I'm unable to continue this way.'

How odd, Itachi thought mirthlessly. Those words mimicked what he felt. Perhaps Shisui _had_ written the note himself before approaching him last night. After all, Shisui probably knew that he stood a chance of dying. If the note was planted, then who planted it, and when? They were right about how it could easily be copied. It made sense that someone with Sharingan was the one who had done it. Who could it be? Who wished to expose him? Was it the work of the unknown Uchiha who had urged Shisui to kill him?

"He was Uchiha clan's best shinobi, feared as the Shisui of Shurushin. Shisui was always the first in line to carry out any missions for the clan," Inabi said.

Tekka's eyes narrowed, his suspicions barely veiled. "Such a man would not write something like that and kill himself."

Itachi lowered the note. "Appearance could be deceiving," he pointed out. After all, _he _had been fooled by Shisui's friendliness.

"Keep the note and request for ANBU's aid in this investigation," Yashiro said.

"I understand," Itachi murmured.

The three Uchihas began to step away.

Then Inabi paused. Glancing over his shoulders, he warned, "We also have a different contact in ANBU, so don't even think of destroying the evidence. We will know right away."

Itachi lowered his head as his hand clenched around the note. It was clear that they were accusing him, even though they were too cowardly to say it outright. What did they expect him to say? That he had done it? That he would hand himself to him for whatever punishment they could come up with? It appeared that he had underestimated their stupidity.

They were such fools to have the audacity to challenge him. Did they think that they would be protected under the so-called security of the clan name? Did they think that he was as cowardly as they were, that he would not retaliate?

"Why don't you be more direct?" Itachi ground out icily. "That you're suspecting me?"

For a moment, they froze at his words, and then Inabi sneered. "That's right. What are you going to do about it?"

"Just try to betray the clan," Yashiro threatened. "You won't get away so easily."

The clan? Itachi's lips thinned. He had enough of this nonsense. This supposed clan unity which was nothing but a big show. With that thought, Itachi streaked forward. It did not take long, merely a couple of seconds and a series of punches before the three of them were sprawled on the ground helplessly, groaning in pain.

Weak. Pitiful.

"Have I not said that you shouldn't judge one based on their appearance? You underestimate me," Itachi intoned flatly as he straightened. "You misjudged the extent of your own capacity, while you remain oblivious to the extent of mine. And now you're face down in the dirt."

"Shisui had been watching you recently," Yashiro hissed. "Only half a year after attaching yourself to ANBU, and your behavior is already strange. What are you thinking?"

"You speak of my attachment to ANBU. What about the clan? In fact, why attach at all and restrict oneself to organizations? Why do I need to attach myself to the clan? To glorify the clan even though none of you understands what I am? No matter what, people fear and hate those they do not understand. How foolish."

"Stop it, Itachi!"

Itachi spun around at the sound of his father's voice. His eyes narrowed in derision. Another weak Uchiha who wanted nothing but to conform to the obsolete ideals of the clan.

"What's going on here? Itachi, you've been acting strange lately."

There was nothing strange about how he behaved recently. He had simply decided that he had enough of serving the clan's petty needs. It would soon bring him further away from the clan, further from this restriction that was holding him back daily. To free himself so that he could reach the limit of his potential.

"I'm just doing what I need to do. That's all," Itachi replied tonelessly.

"Then why didn't you come last night?"

"To progress."

"What are you talking about?"

Even his own father did not understand, but then again, he should have expected it. Too long had his father allowed himself to be constrained by the clan. Too long had he allowed the clan to destroy any potential he might have had. Itachi glanced up and the painted signs of the Uchiha crest caught his attention. His blood instantly boiled at the sight. With a flick of his wrist, his kunai was out and the next thing he knew, the sharp end was embedded in the wall, cracking the image of the crest.

His father gasped.

Straightening, Itachi intoned flatly. "I've given up all hope for this clan. Because of the attachment to the clan, people lose sight of what is truly important. There would be no development when there's so much restriction."

"Such arrogance!" his father gritted out, obviously displeased by those words.

"If you're going to say anymore worthless nonsense, we'll put you in prison."

"Taishou, give us the order to restrain him!" Inabi snarled.

"Nii-san! Stop it!"

Itachi froze at his brother's voice, then he glanced sharply at Sasuke. Even his brother was on their side now? The last person he had shown a modicum of trust had decided to stand against him? He turned to face the rest of them. Their expressions displayed their anger, their distrust, and what was that? Disappointment?

He had told them what they needed to know in the small hope that it might open their eyes, but it was obvious that they were too entrenched in their beliefs to change. It did not matter. He could not live like this any longer, pretending and acting to suit the clan's purposes. Jumping at the beck and call of ANBU and the Uchiha clan. Conflicted between his duty as an ANBU captain and the son of an Uchiha. Wanting to stretch himself, only to find that he was being continually held back.

He despised the feeling.

The Uchiha clan was like a leech, a parasite, clinging on to him for prestige and using him so that they could hold their heads up high while walking down the streets of Konoha. His strength was not his alone, it was something they felt they had the right to exploit, to use. They did nothing, while he worked hard his entire life to achieve one thing after another. Why did they not seek to improve themselves? Why must they depend on one single shinobi to shoulder the weight of the clan's honor?

He hated them.

He hated how they made him into this, a tool to exploit. He hated how some of them fawned over him, praising him, pretending to care when all they wanted was to use him. It was dishonest, and he hated dishonesty and pretense. Yes, he was always told that a shinobi was a tool. But only a fool would believe that. He was strong, stronger than any of them. There was no reason for him to obey them. There was no reason for him to allow them to continue taking advantage of him.

He would leave, but before that, he had to make sure that they did not suspect anything.

So he fell to his knees in apology, and like fools, they accepted it, reiterating their weakness. He smirked inwardly at the irony. There he was on his knees before them, when in fact, he could easily defeat all of them without a problem.

Would there ever be an Uchiha who could offer him a challenge?

Perhaps there was one last Uchiha who had the potential to do so.

Therefore before he stood back up, Itachi flashed the Mangekyou Sharingan at Sasuke in challenge, watching his little brother's eyes widen in shock.

Would Sasuke bow to the clan's demands?

Would Sasuke come after him one day?

* * *

Ever since the incident with Shisui, things had changed. Instead of their usual praises, he, Itachi was now regarded with suspicion. It did not take long for them to change, did it?

Yesterday, he had watched from a distance as Sasuke practiced the fire jutsu. His little brother was not able to execute it yet, but not for the lack of trying.

So, now that he could no longer be controlled, their father had chosen to shift his attention to Sasuke? Was he planning to mold Sasuke as he had done to his eldest son so many years ago? Would Sasuke undergo the 'training' he had been through?

Hm. It did not matter to him anymore. He would seek his own path. Tonight, he would leave the Uchiha clan.

Itachi did not know why he had waited so long. Something seemed to be stopping him from leaving earlier. But he could not wait any longer. He refused to pretend, to act, and to be regarded with suspicion each time he stepped into the Uchiha compound. It was demeaning, and he refused to accept it any longer.

A rapid patter of small feet broke his thoughts. Itachi looked up from his shoes to find Sasuke staring hopefully at him.

"Nii-san, can you come with me for shuriken practice after school today?"

"I'm busy."

"You can ask Chichi-ue."

"But you're better at shuriken techniques. Even I can tell." Sasuke paused before adding grumpily, "You always treat me like I'm a burden."

Itachi stilled. Was that what Sasuke really thought? Perhaps his actions had always conveyed it as such. It was hard to imagine his little brother as the one who possibly had the potential to defeat him one day, but if Sasuke could not, it did not truly matter. Slightly amused by the thought, he gestured for his brother to come closer.

And when Sasuke did, Itachi tapped him on his forehead.

"Ouch!"

And he said those words again, "Forgive me, Sasuke. Perhaps next time."

Itachi looked away.

There would be no next time.

* * *

The moon was once again full, illuminating the grounds before him. Night came early today, Itachi mused as he paused. It was appropriate in a way, seeing that he was leaving the home he had known for all his life. He did not know if he should go in to retrieve his belongings, or should he simply disappear?

His steps faltered when the gates of the Uchiha compound loomed before him, his eyes narrowing at the sight which greeted him.

Someone was at the gate. Someone appeared to be leaving.

"Who are you?" Itachi asked warily.

The person did not reply, but he left the position by the gate to approach him. Itachi immediately tensed in preparation for a battle. Whoever this was, he was not wearing the Uchiha attire, and his lower face was covered by a mask, leaving only two black eyes visible.

"Uchiha Itachi," the man murmured.

"Who are you?"

"You do not remember me?"

Itachi frowned as the man chuckled. The man was masked, but he was certain that they have never met before.

Then, in a blink of an eye, Itachi found himself staring into a pair of crimson eyes. Unable to tear his eyes away, Itachi froze as the three black tomoe began to rotate into a Mangekyou.

Thoughts flooded his mind. Thoughts which Itachi did not comprehend, did not understand how they had suddenly arrived in his consciousness. Words telling him that the Uchiha clan only wished to use his power, his strength and would discard him when they were done with him. Although that was what Itachi had always known, he realized that there was something wrong with this scenario.

It was a genjutsu, Itachi told himself firmly. He could break it easily.

"Kai!"

Almost immediately, his vision settled and he was once again near the compound gate. The first thing he noticed was that he was alone. The man who had been there just moments ago was no longer there.

Shouts began to sound behind him, making him turn around. And when he did, his eyes landed on a large group of people from his own clan. They stared at him, some with the crimson Sharingan, some without. Their postures were rigid, tense, as they glared at him.

"You've gone too far, Itachi."

"Killing Shisui was not enough for you was it?"

"Mangekyou is not enough for him. He wants more. Why else would he kill his own mother and the rest?"

Itachi froze. His mother was killed?

"You're a monster! A freak!" one of the women shouted. "How could you kill the children?"

"How could you kill half of your own clan?"

"Let's show the little shit where he belongs!"

"Let's get him!"

The effect of so many Sharingan hit him hard. Something swirled in his mind, faster and faster. It felt like a freefall, only worse.

Then he saw them move. They were all coming at him, their weapons raised and their features displaying their hatred towards him. Hatred? Was this the thing which fuelled their strength? Was their hatred strong enough to push them to kill him the way he had killed Shisui?

As strong as the hatred and anger that he currently felt in the face of their audacity to challenge him?

Perhaps this was the time he showed them what he was truly capable of. It was time that he showed them their rightful place.

A smirk crossed his lips and he began to move. And once he began to move, he did not stop. He saw their expressions contort as the scream for their lives, their arms thrown up before them to shield themselves. But it was too late. They were too weak. They had depended on others for strength, for prestige, for far too long. They did not deserve to live.

And now, they were unable to help themselves. One after another, as if in slow motion, Itachi saw them move. Too slow, he thought absently as one of his cousins tried to stab him only to be thwarted by a kunai in his throat. Too slow, he deduced as another came at him with a gleaming katana, only to have the blade break from the impact of his kick. Occasionally, blades sliced into his skin, drawing blood which spilled on the ground. But he still continued to move.

He did not fully comprehend what was happening. All he knew was that they were intent on killing him in the name of revenge even without confirming who the murderer was. But whatever it was, Itachi had had enough of it and he had every intention of retaliating. Just how far would they go this time? How far would they go to avenge the Uchiha name? Were they prepared to die for it?

So he continued to fight. He was fighting for himself now. Not for ANBU, not for the Uchiha clan, but for himself. Him, Itachi. And this was one fight which he would show them all just how foolish it was for them to challenge him.

Then it was all over.

He closed his eyes. The numbness intensified until there was nothing but an odd buzzing in his ears. When Itachi opened his eyes again, he was outside, still within the Uchiha compound. Was that a dream? Had the battle been real? He immediately glanced down at his own body, noting that he was still clad in his ANBU uniform. There was no blood, no dirt, nothing which suggested to him that the battle was anything but an illusion, or a dream. But then again, none of them had managed to get close to him.

The streets were quiet, too quiet. The bloodied bodies littering the compound told him that what he had experienced was no dream, even though he was certain that he had not killed the children who laid lifeless against the walls of their houses. They posed no threat to him, after all.

Wishing for a better vantage point, he leapt upwards. Balanced on the timber post, Itachi studied the carnage beneath him. Was this his doing? He felt numb, like nothing was making sense. Bodies of those he had known his entire life were strewn all over the Uchiha compound, all bloody and mangled. All destroyed by their own foolishness.

Leaping off the post, Itachi made his way to his home.

His parents. He should cast his eyes over them for the last time before he left.

It did not take him long to reach his home. His footsteps seemed loud in the quietness of the evening, echoing in the enclosed space as he made his way to the hall. Reaching out, he pushed the screen open and walked in.

The first thing he heard was sobs.

Then he saw his heavily wounded father kneeling beside his mother's bloody form. Itachi felt his heart clench for a moment as his eyes swept over his mother's pale face. But he tore his gaze away, not wanting to see how lifeless she was. As he stepped closer, his father raised his head. His black eyes were red-rimmed, his face was twisted in despair and he looked broken. Thoughts which did not seem like his own coursed through Itachi, filling him with a myriad of emotions. Burning emotions which he had never felt before.

The first word which came to Itachi's mind was… Pitiful.

Pitiful. Was this the man he had looked up to his entire life? Was this the man he had worked so hard to gain acknowledgement from?

"Itachi…"

"Chichi-ue." His voice was bland, unemotional.

Then his father slumped lifelessly onto the bloodstained tatami mat.

There was no doubt that soon, the rest of Konoha would be aware of what had taken place in the Uchiha compound. It was inevitable. He had to leave, especially now that his entire clan was massacred.

All except for his little brother.

Sasuke.

* * *

It was foolish to remain in the compound, but Itachi did anyway. He had to wait for his brother to return, he had to wait for the other survivor of the clan massacre. There was one other thing for him to do before he left the clan.

Now that this had happened, his plan was no longer as simple as to leave Konoha. In the hours that he had been waiting, he had arrived at a conclusion. There was another party involved, and Itachi suspected that it could only be the Sharingan-wielding man at the compound gate earlier.

The reason behind the action was unclear, but the objective was obvious; the elimination of the Uchiha clan. And he, Itachi, had somehow been used, manipulated into doing so. Whoever that had set this up possessed a much greater knowledge of the Sharingan's ability. And most likely harbored a grudge towards the Uchiha clan, even though the fact that the stranger possessed the Sharingan gave him away as an Uchiha himself.

The massacre had been brutal and yet, Itachi felt nothing for them. Those fools had deserved to die. Itachi's hands clenched. What he resented was the fact that he had been manipulated like a tool by this stranger. And now there were only two of them left. Him and Sasuke.

He had no wish to tend to Sasuke. Itachi was not even certain why he wished for Sasuke to survive but the notion of Sasuke being killed did not sit well with him. Perhaps he simply wanted someone to compare with, someone with the potential to offer him a worthy challenge some day.

His brother, however, was young and weak. And in order for Sasuke to grow powerful to protect himself, he must be broken out of his childhood. Without the clan's chokehold, Sasuke would be free to explore his potential fully. Otherwise it would be a waste of talent. The only thing his little brother required as an encouragement was hatred. Sheer hatred would drive Sasuke to seek power. Considering the current circumstances, that would not be too hard to achieve.

As if on cue, Itachi heard the sound of tentative footsteps approaching the hall. Sasuke had returned and if he had followed his usual route, he would have known that something was wrong. Silently waiting, Itachi stood beside his parents' bodies, his eyes fixed to the door.

A moment later, the door opened to reveal the anxious figure of his little brother. Then Sasuke's gaze lowered to the unmoving forms of their parents. Lips parting as his eyes widened in horror, Sasuke let out a choked cry.

"Nii-san! Okaa-san and Otou-san… they are… WHY? WHY? Who could have-"

Itachi raised a shuriken but deliberately missed hitting his target when Sasuke made no move to react. His eyes narrowed in disapproval as Sasuke only stared at him, incomprehension gracing his features. If Sasuke could not handle a simple attack like that, what hope did he have? He was simply wasting his potential like the rest of the dead Uchiha.

"Nii-san…What are you doing?

"Foolish little brother."

He would perform his last duty as the elder brother. Before he left, he would make sure that Sasuke had a reason to grow powerful. There was only one thing left to do. One thing to instill a burning hatred in his brother, so that he would live with a hunger for power.

"Mangekyou Sharingan."

Sasuke let out a choked cry as he was drawn into the doujutsu. With the Sharingan, Itachi showed Sasuke the events of the last few hours. He showed Sasuke the images of those who had been slaughtered by his own hands, how the mangled bodies fell one after another, soaking the dusty ground of the compound with their blood. Their cries of pain echoed on and Itachi had to grit his teeth to prevent himself from reacting to it.

Then it was over. Itachi watched as Sasuke panted, his small body quivering at the experience.

"W-Why?" Ragged breaths continued to shake Sasuke's body. "Why did you kill them?"

"To gauge my potential."

"Just for that, you killed everyone?"

"It was necessary."

A choked sob escaped Sasuke.

* * *

The vivid projection of Itachi's memories continued to grace them, almost morbid in its intensity. But now, there was an obvious waver to those images. Itachi was still staring straight ahead, trapped in Madara's jutsu, but Sakura knew that she was finally getting through to him. With renewed determination, she directly her tightly controlled chakra to his mind, intent on disrupting Madara's technique.

The projections of Itachi memories wavered again.

"Yes," Sakura ground out through clenched teeth.

A curse escaped Madara. He was furious, but Sakura ignored him. Yes, her mental shields were now fully in place and there was no way the older Uchiha could do anything to her as long as he was occupied with Itachi. So she kept her hands pressed against a rigid Itachi, begging silently for him to respond.

Desperation gave her another surge of strength and she injected more chakra into Itachi.

"Come on, Itachi… Fight this!" she gritted out. "I can't do this alone!"

Then the projected images sputtered abruptly to a halt, and the surrounding chamber came back into sharp focus.

"You…" Madara hissed at her. "You interfering little shit!"

She knew the moment Itachi regained consciousness, for he tensed under her palms. She could feel his heart racing and the urge to hug him was strong, but she knew that she had no right to do so now. Besides, he was already stepping shakily away from her, uncaring that her hands were slipping off him. His furious eyes were fixed to Madara.

"Sakura…"

She glanced sideways to see a pale Naruto staring at her. Her friend was obviously shaken by what he had just seen. However, before she could say anything, Madara's voice filled the chamber again.

"Your assumptions are wrong, Itachi."

Itachi remained silent, but his fury was still palpable.

"As you know now, I did not intend to wipe out the entire clan." Madara's tone chilled further. "I only took the lives I needed."

Sakura watched nervously as Itachi's eyes narrowed, but still he said nothing. It was obvious that he was waiting for Madara to spill everything. In fact, she was just as curious about the entire thing.

"The genjutsu was only meant to encourage you to leave the clan to join us. Unfortunately, I've underestimated your hatred towards the clan."

Itachi only continued to stare at him coldly.

"Why the hell did you kill them in the first place, you bastard?" Naruto shouted at the older Uchiha.

Madara's eyes gleamed with malice. "Why, Naruto-kun. Haven't you been listening? Because I needed their life-force to maintain my own."

"That's why you killed the children?" Sakura ground out.

"Of course. Their potential lifespan is longer. I left those at breeding ages alive to repopulate the clan, after all. As for the elderly, they were simply a waste. It was best that what remained of their lives were made useful."

"You sick bastard," Naruto hissed, his entire body trembling with rage.

She could not believe just how despicable Madara was. Using others' lives was bad enough but to target children? She was about to voice her thoughts when Pein made a move towards Itachi. Tensing, she watched as Itachi slowly turned to the other Akatsuki.

"I don't suppose I need to ask you which side you're on, Itachi," Pein remarked tersely. "I'm sure you can see that it is more beneficial for you to work with me, for now."

"Hm."

With a small nod, Pein murmured, "We should make sure there are no interruptions, don't you think?"

Itachi slanted his eyes towards Naruto. "Naruto-kun. Sakura. It is best that you do not interfere."

Sakura's eyes widened. What did he mean? Then she gasped when he executed a series of familiar seals. She recognized the technique.

"Itachi?"

"Oi! What the hell are you doing?" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto! Get back!" Sakura warned, reaching forward to pull her friend back just as the black fires of Amaterasu exploded into a long thick line, barricading them from the three Akatsuki. Beside them, Gaara hissed in displeasure.

She snapped her attention back to Itachi, only to find that he was now focusing fully on Madara. His Amaterasu was meant to keep the Leaf shinobi away from that battle. It was clear that Itachi wanted to pay Madara back for manipulating him through Danzou and Shisui and those others from his past. And Pein? Pein just wanted to get back at Madara for attempting to use the Akatsuki for his own benefit.

"Let's settle this, shall we?" Pein intoned, his eyes swirling dangerously.

"You think too highly of yourself," Madara sneered. "But I'll humor you. For now."

Pein lifted his chin. "You don't know what I'm capable of."

Smirking, Madara responded, "Perhaps. Perhaps not. However, you're welcomed to try."

Without another word, Pein and Itachi began to circle the older Uchiha. Watching them over the black flames, Sakura's throat went dry at the sight. The fact that Itachi agreed to fight Madara together with Pein probably meant that Madara's strength was something to be reckoned with.

"This is unexpected," Gaara remarked quietly.

Turning to the side, Sakura grabbed her friend's arm. "Naruto! Did you really come here without Shishou's permission?" she asked sternly. The consequence of such an action was severe.

Naruto grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Tsunade-Baachan allowed me to go to Suna to help Gaara, but she doesn't know what for."

"And she agreed?"

Gaara's tone was even when he spoke. "We are allies. I assured her that I wouldn't ask Naruto to do anything I would not do myself." After a short pause, he added, "However, she knows."

Naruto's eyes bugged. "She knows?!" he shouted. "What do you mean, she knows?"

Gaara gave Naruto a flat look. "You expect your own Hokage to be so gullible? She did not agree to it until she discovered what the plan was."

"That's reassuring," Sakura remarked dryly. "So, I assume you're here with some back-up?"

"I can't believe Tsunade-baachan knows," Naruto muttered.

"Leaf's forces remained in Konoha in defense of the kyuubi. Suna's forces were mobilized earlier to deal with the rest of the Akatsuki," Gaara explained.

Naruto glanced into the distance. "They must still be fighting Deidara, Kisame and Konan."

"I see," Sakura murmured worriedly.

Recalling the battle she and Itachi had with Suna's ANBU, she wondered if Deidara and Kisame would survive it. Whatever happened to Akatsuki as an organization, she did not really want Deidara or Kisame killed.

Her gaze went beyond the black line of fire towards the three shinobi circling each other. And what about Itachi? What would happen to him now that Suna and Konoha were actively seeking to destroy each and every one of them? To Konoha, Itachi's crimes were serious.

She frowned slightly, recalling what she had seen of Itachi's memories. Right before Itachi massacred the rest of his clan, he was caught in a genjutsu, right? Then maybe one could say that the massacre was not Itachi's fault after all. But even as the thought crossed her mind, Sakura knew that it was no excuse. Itachi would never be pardoned for the crime, and she had a feeling that he did not want to be pardoned in the first place. His hatred for them was so real that she could have sworn that she could taste the bitterness of it.

But why was she even thinking about this in the first place? Was it because now that everything had blown up, there was no longer an Akatsuki, which meant that she would no longer be able to see Itachi?

She grimaced. What made her think that he wanted to be anywhere near her anyway? As far as he was concerned, she had betrayed him. That she had manipulated him the way the Uchihas had done. He probably thought that everything that had happened between them was simply an act on her part.

But it was not. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Everything she felt for him was real. And she needed to tell him that. Even if he simply pushed her away after that, she needed to tell him how she felt. Or she would regret it for the rest of her life.

Suddenly, it occurred to her that the rest of her life could be limited to this few hours.

* * *

The three of them stood in a triangular formation, each tensed and ready for the next attack. They had been fighting for the last hour but to Itachi displeasure, Madara was not even winded.

Then Pein streaked forward, his hands flipping through a series of seals. The wind picked up in the enclosed space, swirling round and round, bringing with it sharp needles of rain. Madara brought up his hands and in a flash, a stone wall erupted from the ground, effectively blocking Pein's attack. And yet, Pein was not discouraged. As Itachi watched, the swirly eyed Akatsuki prepared another jutsu.

A cold shiver wracked his body, and Itachi forced himself not to wince. It was the side effect of Madara's jutsu. He wondered just how bad it would have been if Sakura had not stopped it when she did. Still, even though he was still affected by the onslaught of memories and the disorientation that came with it, Itachi knew that he could not afford to lose focus.

"Itachi," Pein called out as he jumped back.

Itachi saw that Madara was now occupied with two of Pein's bunshin. For now he had an opening to attack. And this time, he would aim for a different target, once which Madara could ill-afford to lose. To get that close to Madara meant that he risked injuries, but fortunately, the power he had absorbed from the hachibi would ensure that the benefit outweighs the risk.

He darted towards the older Uchiha. Beyond the flames of his Amaterasu, a feminine gasp sounded at his move but he ignored it. His focus was entirely on Madara, who had just eliminated Pein's bunshins. A direct attack was not suitable, therefore he had to distract Madara first.

With that thought, he caught Madara's eyes.

Smirking, the older Uchiha sneered, "You think to use Tsukuyomi on me?"

Itachi did not respond. Instead, he executed that very jutsu. As he had anticipated, he was instantly met with a strong resistance, telling him clearly that Madara's Sharingan was more powerful. In seconds, his Tsukuyomi was repelled.

But Itachi's hands were already rapidly finishing another series of seals.

"Katon: Hinokami-no-jutsu!"

Almost immediately, balls of molten fire exploded from the ground around Madara. The older Uchiha's cursed out loud before he moved swiftly, avoiding the constant onslaught of fireballs. The jutsu would continue until he called a halt to it.

This was his chance.

In a blur, Itachi was standing right before Madara, his hands extended towards the older Uchiha's eyes. Said eyes widened in comprehension.

"Fool!" Madara hissed derisively as he twisted away.

The molten balls of fire continued to explode around them, missing Itachi each time but still targeting the swiftly moving Madara. With growing annoyance, Itachi continued to pursue his target, intent on removing the older Uchiha's most precious weapon. Madara's hands were moving now, but he could not recognize the seals.

"Itachi! Watch out!"

Itachi tensed momentarily at the kunoichi's voice and then he saw what she was warning him about. The ground under him began to rumble and undulate as if it was no harder than mud. With a grimace, he substituted himself with a clone and launched upwards to a ledge on the chamber walls. He then watched as his clone and his fireballs were sucked into the ground.

"My turn, Itachi. Stand back," Pein instructed suddenly.

Itachi assented, knowing that to do otherwise would be foolish. Unlike Kisame, Pein was not someone he was used to fighting with, therefore Itachi was unfamiliar with his techniques. Fighting together would only endanger themselves.

So he only observed as Pein and Madara clashed. They executed one jutsu after another, barely stopping in between. In any other circumstances, Itachi would have been impressed by the skill displayed before him, but in this instance, he only wished for Madara's destruction.

Then the exchange of jutsu suddenly ceased when Madara jumped back. Much to Itachi's surprise, Madara extracted a scroll. Right before them, the older Uchiha unlocked the scroll to release a pair of kusarigama. Itachi's eyes narrowed as he watched Madara handle the sickle and chain, waving them in twin circles over his head with the sort of ease which told Itachi that he was fully familiar with the weapon.

"What are you playing at, Madara?" Pein demanded tersely. "Surely you don't think such weapons are sufficient."

A bark of laughter broke from the older Uchiha before he spoke. "You'll soon see, won't you?"

The kusarigama circled faster and faster as Itachi pulled out a pair of kunai, prepared to defend himself if the sickle and chain came near him. The weapon's range was large, after all.

Then Madara released it.

The two spinning sickle blades separated, one heading towards him and one towards Pein. Out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi caught sight of Madara performing another jutsu, but he knew that he had to focus on the immediate threat. Tensing, Itachi deflected the oncoming sickle blade with the kunai he was holding.

The weapons met with a loud clash. Much to his surprise, the sickle did not fall. Instead, his kunai seemed to be stuck to it.

A hiss escaped Itachi's lips when he felt the first wave of energy from the sickle blade. Then his eyes widened in comprehension when the blade and his kunai began to glow. A fraction of a second later, Itachi felt his chakra leaving him at an incomprehensible speed, travelling through the kunai grasped in his hand to head towards the sickle. Whatever Madara had done to the sickles, it had given the blades the capacity to absorb chakra, even through another object.

With some difficulty, Itachi straightened his fingers, releasing his grip on the kunai.

The connection was broken when the kunai hit the ground, but he knew that it was too late. Even now, he could feel the loss of the chakra from his body as he staggered unsteadily, finally falling to the ground. Once again, he heard a feminine gasp from the other side of his Amaterasu barrier. Grinding his teeth in displeasure, Itachi snapped his gaze up the older Uchiha.

Then he stiffened in shock at the sight which greeted him.

Pein was caught in some kind of jutsu, literally frozen to the spot. Icicles hung off the ends of his hair and his entire body was covered with ice and white frost.

"Still think you could defeat me, Pein?" Madara mocked, even though it was clear that he too have sustained an injury. The shredded sleeve of his left arm, stained with what looked like blood, was enough to tell Itachi that while he was distracted, Pein had managed to injure Madara.

As for Pein, it was clear that his strength was dwindling. He would not last long like this. Cracks began to appear on the surface of the ice, and lines of thick red blood followed soon after, seeping through the cracks. Still, Pein remained motionless, even though he was clearly in excruciating pain. After all, his blood was being drained from him with each crack that formed on the surface of his body.

Itachi knew that there was nothing he could do at this point.

"You bastard!" Naruto yelled from the other side of the barrier. "That's sick!"

Madara only laughed in response to the blonde's words.

Itachi stared at Madara, not bothering to hide his disgust.

"A handy trick from the fifth bijuu." Madara smirked. "Don't you think, Itachi?"

Itachi grimaced.

As the last of the ice fractured and dropped off his body, Pein fell silently to his knees into the puddle of his own blood, his expression displaying his disbelief as Madara laughed out loud. Then the swirly-eyed Akatsuki slumped forward, landing on the ground face down. Itachi knew that Pein was dead, as he could no longer sense any chakra emanating from him.

Crouched on the ground, his own chest heaving breathlessly, Itachi gritted his teeth. Although he could heal himself, he knew that he did not have sufficient chakra to carry on fighting for long. Madara's kusarigama ensured that. He would need time to recover, to replenish his strength fully.

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the sight of the motionless Akatsuki. Pein was strong, but Madara had defeated him with ease. The older Uchiha was undeniably powerful, and right now, even with the seal in his arm, Itachi was beginning to run out of chakra. To remain fighting meant certain defeat.

There was nothing he could do except retreat.

For now.

* * *

Sakura watched in confusion when Itachi stood up and took a step back, his hands blurring with the speed at which he was executing the familiar seals. What was he doing? Madara was still there, and she could tell that the older Uchiha had been wounded by Pein's attack. So why was Itachi not pressing his advantage?

Stunned, Sakura remained frozen as the technique took effect and Itachi disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Itachi never retreated unless he had a good reason to do so. Was he out of chakra?

Naruto's irritable voice broke the silence. "Damn it, Baa-chan would be pissed when we have nothing to show for this."

She felt Gaara's eyes on her and then he spoke. "Sakura, perhaps you should capture your Leaf missing-nin. Your Hokage would expect you to do so."

Sakura swallowed hard, and then nodded slowly. Yes, Tsunade-shishou expected the Akatsuki to be destroyed. "I'll go after Itachi."

Naruto blinked at her. "Alone?"

"We will remain to… handle this one," Gaara said instead, inclining his head at Madara. "The rest are not so important."

"But-"

"I'll be fine, Naruto. I know Itachi's techniques," Sakura quickly interjected, carefully omitting that she had never bested Itachi in battle.

Unknowingly, Gaara had given her one last chance to talk to Itachi and she was not about to miss it. Things between them were still somewhat unresolved, though a part of her knew that Itachi would not listen to her readily. After all, he was convinced that she had lied her way through what they had.

But she had to try to make him understand.

* * *

Once out of the extraction chamber, Itachi quickly sped through the trees, heading towards Fire Country. He knew that Madara would soon make his way there, the kyuubi should be hidden within that country itself. And when he did, Itachi would be prepared for him.

Already, Itachi's mind was occupied with possible things he could do to increase his chances of success the next time he encountered Madara. All he needed was a little more time to come up with a new strategy.

"Itachi!"

He tensed at her voice, but his steps did not slow. As his feet skimmed over the branches, he could hear her shouting for him to stop. He continued to run, ignoring her.

She continued to shout his name.

After a while, he finally decided that she would not relent. Halting abruptly, he spun around and waited for her to catch up. When she did, she stopped several arm's length away from him. Her cheeks were pink from exertion and her eyes bright when she stared at him, stirring something within him that he quickly suppressed.

"Why are you here?" he asked without preamble.

An uncertain look crossed her features. "I… I just want to explain things."

"Explain?"

"About us."

He raised a brow. "There is nothing to explain, surely."

A mild look of desperation entered her eyes. "You don't understand, Itachi. It wasn't all an act." She took a deep breath. "What happened between us… that's not an act."

Something within him ached at her words, but he kept his tone measured. "Is that so?"

She nodded firmly.

"It does not matter," he said in an oddly stilted voice.

He did not understand why this was so important to her. The fact that she had deceived him was bad enough. Why did she feel the need justify her actions to him? She was a kunoichi. This was her mission. Besides, it no longer mattered. Did it?

"I'm sorry," she murmured suddenly.

His lips thinned. What was she sorry for?

However, he felt compelled to say, "You were following Konoha's orders. Apologies are not necessary."

She shook her head. "No… I'm not apologizing for… us." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that back in Konoha."

All that? Then it sank in and he stiffened immediately, disliking the implications.

She would pity him?

"Come back to Konoha with me, Itachi."

He arched a brow. Her loyalty to Konoha meant that she would have to apprehend him. Instead, she was attempting to persuade him to give himself up willingly. This was not surprising, but Itachi felt his anger rise further at her intentions. It was as if she was taunting him, wordlessly telling him how gullible he had been to fall for her charms. Resisting the urge to clench his fists, he stared blandly at her.

"It's not all your fault. You were just a child when it all started," she continued in a pleading voice.

His jaw clenched. This was the last thing he wanted to hear from her. He did not need her pity or anyone else's for that matter. What he had gone through had made him one of the strongest shinobi in this land after all.

"Enough," he gritted out quietly. "Do not speak of things you do not understand."

Bewilderment flickered in her eyes. "But-"

"I have nothing left to say to you," he interjected stonily, not wanting to hear any more sympathetic words from her. "Leave."

Her eyes flared and she took a step towards him. "Itachi. If you would just listen-"

"Leave," he bit out.

This time, her face stiffened in annoyance. "Fine. Don't listen. But I'm not letting you walk away."

"You would not let me?" he asked silkily. Challengingly.

She flinched slightly before her body straightened visibly. "I'm taking you back to Konoha with me whether you like it or not," she announced firmly.

"You think you're capable of such a thing?" His voice carried a tone of warning.

She stared at him unflinchingly. "You wouldn't have left Madara if you're not depleted of chakra."

Itachi smirked inwardly. Yes, it was true that he was low on chakra, but he still had enough to disable the kunoichi. He simply did not have enough for a prolonged battle with Madara. But Sakura did not know that. She did not know, and thus, she had underestimated him.

"Isn't it, Itachi?"

"Perhaps." After a pause, he asked, "Do you wish for a demonstration?"

He moved then. A look of surprise crossed her face as he streaked past her, capturing her in a headlock in moment. A flash of chakra caught his eyes then, and Itachi quickly released her just before her glowing hands made contact with his arm.

Glaring at him now, she snapped, "I don't want to fight you, Itachi. Why can't you be reasonable about this?"

"It is reasonable to allow oneself to be captured?" he retorted smoothly.

She bit her lips. Then, without warning, she darted towards him, her hands already forming seals.

"Fuuton: Reppushou!" she called out.

A gust of wind shot towards him. Itachi's eyes narrowed in displeasure even as he performed a similar set of seals. If she would use the technique he had taught her against him, he would retaliate with the same.

"Fuuton: Reppushou."

The two gusts of wind met with an electrifying clash of power. As his Akatsuki cloaked whipped around him, he raised his hands to shield his eyes from the flying leaves. Then, before the wind died down fully, he rushed in towards the kunoichi. She saw his approach and immediately took on a defensive stance.

Their kunai met, metal clashing against metal. They exchanged blows, both attacking and defending in swift succession. Like their fight in the extraction chamber earlier, he once again sensed hesitation in her movements.

And this very hesitation was the thing which gave him the opening to dislodge her kunai. In a move too fast for most to see, he swept out his leg, destabilizing her, sending her tumbling to the ground on her back. Without pause, he followed, holding her in place with his arm against her neck.

Emerald eyes glared at him, anger flashing visibly. Itachi felt his blood rush faster through his veins, knowing that it had nothing to do with the heat of the battle. It was something else, something familiar when it came to the kunoichi.

His gaze lowered to rest on her lips. Under his chest, he felt her breath hitch.

"I-Itachi…" she whispered shakily.

One last time, he told himself firmly.

Then he dipped his head, capturing her lips in his none too gently. Her taste swept through his senses, momentarily blinding him to everything around them. It had always been like this. He had always been susceptible to her. No matter how many times they touched each other, it never seemed to be enough.

And it had to stop.

Forcibly pulling himself off her, Itachi rose to his feet and waited for her to do the same. When she was once again facing him, he had to keep his eyes fixed anywhere but on her swollen lips, the reminder of just how much he still wanted her despite her deception.

"What was that for?" she asked in a tremulous voice, her eyes large in her face.

Her question was not something he wished to answer. All he knew now was that he needed to end this fast, before he was distracted further by his attraction to her. He needed to get away from her, from all the unacceptable things she compelled him to do.

What he had in mind would deplete his chakra further but it did not matter.

He raised his hands, and then commenced a technique that he knew she had not seen before. Her eyes clouded in confusion and wariness as she took several steps back. But Itachi knew that her actions would be futile.

"Suiton: Douyoku."

He spun once and numerous blades of water appeared around him, each rotating mid-air. With a flick of his wrist, the blades sped towards the kunoichi. Eyes not leaving the blades, Sakura retaliated with an earth jutsu.

"Doton: Doryuu-Jouheki!" Sakura called out.

An earth wall rumbled out of the ground. Some of his water blades crashed into the surface of the wall, but the rest spun to the side, slipping past the barrier towards the kunoichi. The earth wall prevented him from seeing her, but he knew that his jutsu would be effective. However, the fact that the technique had never failed him did not make him feel any better in this battle.

Cries of pain reached him then, telling Itachi that the shuriken hidden within the blades of water had connected with his target. His throat constricted in an unnamed emotion as his hands clenched into fists.

When the earth wall separating them disappeared back into the ground, Sakura was no longer standing. Itachi stared at her limp body. Even at this distance, he could see the numerous wounds gracing her body. The ground around her was slowly turning red with her blood. Silently, he made his way towards her, all the while trying to ignore the growing ache somewhere within him.

When he finally reached her, he extracted a kunai, holding the weapon in his hand as he gazed down at her familiar features. Once again, she was on her back, staring up at him with something akin to sadness and resignation on her features. She was growing paler by the moment, weakened by his attack.

"You're going to kill me?" she asked softly.

Something twisted in his chest then, but he swiftly clamped it down.

She was fully exposed. He could kill her now. He could kill her for her audacity in deceiving him, in making him believe that he found someone he could trust. She was completely at his mercy at the moment. But nothing could have prepared him for the warring emotions clouding his thoughts, or the squeeze of pain in his chest.

Raising his arm, he aimed and threw the kunai.

* * *

A/N: That's all for now. Hope you've enjoyed the monstrously long chapter. As always, please review if you could. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thanks for your reviews of the previous chapter. As you can see, I finally finished the chapter! Hopefully you'll enjoy it. Here goes…

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 28**

Sunlight glinted off the kunai as it sped towards her, and yet, Sakura kept her eyes fixed unflinchingly on the Uchiha. There was no escaping it, but if she was to die, she refused to close her eyes like a coward. She saw some unnamed emotion flickering in his eyes, something which made her breath catch.

Then the kunai pierced the ground beside her head, the strength of the impact causing it to vibrate against her cheek. A stinging feeling told her that the blade had grazed her skin, but that was all.

Then in a flash, Itachi was no longer there.

Sakura exhaled a breath of surprise. Itachi _never_ missed, so why the kunai didn't hit her? Why did it come so close and yet, miss? The implication of the action was astonishing.

Itachi could not kill her.

An odd feeling of exhilaration coursed through her. He did not kill her, so that meant something, right?

Then her heart sank at the realization that he had left. He might not have killed her, but he had left anyway. And from the look on his face, she was certain that he would not willingly come near her again. Her heart twisted painfully, bringing forth a burning sensation to her eyes. She bit her lips then, and to her dismay, tasted Itachi on her own swollen flesh.

Talk about falling in love with the wrong guy. Uchiha Itachi was just about as wrong as it could get. She was beginning to think that she would never learn. What next? Fall in love with Madara? The mere thought of it was so preposterous that she wanted to laugh, only to find that she did not have the energy to do so.

Sakura sighed heavily as her eyes fluttered shut. She was stuck, at least for now. It was not as if she did not want to move. She simply could not. Between breaking Itachi out of Madara's jutsu and the battles she had with him, her chakra supply was non-existent. She was so depleted that there was no way she could even move a limb, let alone heal herself.

It occurred to her then to wonder if Itachi had done this on purpose, leaving her at the mercy of her surroundings. So much for not being able to kill her, she thought bitterly.

She did not know how long she laid there but she knew that she was drifting in and out of consciousness. The next time she became aware of her surrounding, there was another person nearby. A shadow fell over her, and Sakura opened her eyes.

She gasped when she realized who it was.

"Deidara?" she whispered nervously.

He stared down at her with an unreadable expression, and resignation coursed through her. He had been there when it all happened, even though he was just a projection then. But the point was, he knew that she had betrayed the Akatsuki to Konoha. He knew that she was a spy all along.

So it followed that he would take advantage of the situation and kill her now.

She closed her eyes, too drained and too hurt both physically and emotionally to contemplate fighting back. After the encounter with Itachi, she had had enough. Her mission for Konoha was over as far as she was concerned. Too much had happened, and even if she wanted to move, she could not. Not with all the broken parts of her body and her lack of chakra.

"You look half dead, yeah," Deidara pronounced flatly.

"And I guess you're here to finish me off." She took a deep breath. "Get it over with, will you?" she whispered without opening her eyes.

A beat passed before she heard him speak. "Is this how a kunoichi should behave, hm?"

Her eyes snapped open at his uncharacteristically stern voice. Confusion coursed through her. Surely he did not expect her to fight back. Perhaps he needed to be taunted. He seemed to respond well to those.

"One of your clay explosive should do it, I think," she remarked dryly. "Make it one big, beautiful blast, alright? Knock yourself out."

To her surprise, he stepped closer and knelt down beside her. This close, the scowl adorning his features was more prominent. He seemed to be studying her body, taking note of her injuries. The odd flicker in his eyes made her nervous, and she swallowed past the lump in her throat. What was Deidara thinking?

"What the hell happened to you? You weren't in this state when I left the chamber, yeah."

She winced slightly, and then looked past him to stare bleakly at the sky. "Itachi," she forced out.

A soft hiss escaped him, and then he remarked, "When I went back, the whole place has caved in."

"Shame you weren't there, huh? Or you would have blown it apart with one of your explosives," she tried to joke. "Come on, Deidara. What are you waiting for?"

His scowl morphed into a frown. "You really want to die that badly?"

"I'm too injured and I can't fight back or anything, so you're just prolonging the inevitable," she snarled, anger at the entire situation finally overcoming her despondency.

An exasperated sound escaped Deidara. A moment later, she froze in alarm when his fingers went under her neck and her knees. Then she found herself lifted up against his chest. Shocked by his action, her eyes shot to his face. Not even sparing a glance at her, he simply walked towards a clay bird perched on a boulder some distance away.

"Deidara?"

He did not reply.

"Deidara, where are you taking me?" she asked nervously.

Was he delivering her back to Madara? In that case, she preferred to die now, because if Madara went into her mind with his power, who knew how long her mental barrier would last this time? And what Konoha secrets he would end up dragging out?

"You're bringing me to Madara?"

"If that's the case, I should be hunting down Itachi and Kisame as well, yeah," he muttered as he jumped onto the boulder.

"I don't understand."

Still cradling her in his arms, Deidara seated himself securely on the clay bird. "Shut up, yeah. You talked enough. And I don't answer to Madara." After a pause, he muttered, "I'm done answering to anyone but myself."

It was not until they were flying through the sky that Deidara's word sank in. Did it mean that he was actually rescuing her?

Too tired to think anymore, she allowed her eyes to flutter shut.

* * *

Tsunade scowled, barely noticing the trainee medic who shrank out of her way as she walked down the hospital corridor. For all she knew, danger was on its way to Konoha and one of her best shinobi was down.

This was all she needed. Yes, she knew that she had approved the covert operation less than a day ago, but could he not pick a better moment to execute it? Or at least bring someone with him? Of course not. That would be too _safe_ for the great Copy-Nin. He had to take on the whole operation all by himself.

Tsunade continued on until she reached the room she was after. Without announcing her presence, she pushed the door open and walked in. A masked face peered out at her from the swathes of white sheets as she strode closer to the bed. She had lost count of just how many times she had seen him in such a position.

"You've overdone it," she stated flatly, glaring in exasperation at the Copy-nin. "As usual."

Kakashi's visible eye curved. "Aa. It was a success, though. Target is eliminated."

"There is such a thing called back-up, Hatake. You shouldn't have attempted it alone."

"With Sakura's information, we can't afford to wait. You know as well as I do that Danzou has spies everywhere. The less people involved, the more secure the operation." He shrugged. "Besides, everything turned out well."

"Hm."

Kakashi shrugged slightly. "So, anymore news?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Judging by Sakura's message, things seem to be moving along as we expected." Tsunade scowled. "I just hope that Naruto won't go overboard."

"The Kazekage is there."

Tsunade raised a brow. "That doesn't mean a thing. From the conversation I had with him, he was determined to get back the Shukaku." She sighed. "Maybe it was a mistake to let Naruto go like that."

Kakashi shook his head once. "Naruto can handle it. Especially now that he doesn't have to expend any of his own energy to suppress the kyuubi. He's stronger than before."

"That's true," Tsunade murmured as she stepped away from Kakashi's bed. "But is that enough against the Akatsuki?"

Standing by the window, she stared out thoughtfully. Then her eyes sharpened in recognition at the sight of the incoming messenger bird. There was no mistaking it. The messenger bird belonged to Suna.

Snapping towards Kakashi, she announced, "I think we have news."

Kakashi simply raised a questioning brow.

It was not long afterwards that she heard the familiar rhythm of her assistant's footsteps.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune yelled breathlessly, barging into the room.

"What is it, Shizune?"

"A message from the Kazekage."

"Yes?" she prompted impatiently.

"Good news is, the statue holding the bijuu has been destroyed and Akatsuki no longer exist. Some are still alive, but according to the Kazekage, they have scattered."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "I can't believe they managed it."

"And what is the bad news?" Kakashi interjected.

Shizune's expression darkened. "They are both too injured to make it back on their own, and the Kazekage is requesting Konoha field medics. His own ANBU squads didn't make it. And Akira is missing."

"Send two of our medics to them at once," Tsunade instructed.

"There's more," Shizune said somewhat hesitantly.

"What?"

"Madara managed to pry the location of the kyuubi out of Naruto."

A stagnant moment of silence followed Shizune's proclamation. And then the Hokage turned grim.

"Summon all the ANBU captains and all the jounin," Tsunade instructed. "We'll have to prepare ourselves."

* * *

Seated on a wide tree limb overhanging a steep cliff, Itachi stared silently out into the horizon.

He had been so close to killing her just a few hours ago. But in the end, he had not been able to do it. Grimacing inwardly, he could not help but wonder if what Madara had said was true. That he was weakened by his connection to the kunoichi.

The mere thought of the older Uchiha made his hands clench in fury. Madara's act in exposing his past further fueled his anger. His past was his own, and he loathed the fact that others were now privy to its details. Fortunately, Sakura had stopped the flow of memories before it could go further.

Itachi knew exactly what they would have seen if it had continued.

They would see how, as a thirteen-year-old shinobi, he had travelled extensively to further develop his strength, building his reputation as a ruthless missing-nin. However, his self-isolation had not lasted long. Considering how Pein had sought him previously, it was hardly surprising that he had met the other shinobi a year later. This time, Itachi had finally accepted the invitation to join Akatsuki, suspecting that the mysterious Uchiha was linked to the organization.

Keeping his eyes and ears open, his guard up all the time, he had spent the following years carrying out one Akatsuki task after another. By the time he was fifteen, Akatsuki was made up of Pein, Konan, Zetsu, Sasori and himself. It was that year that he had come across Kisame.

Itachi had been assigned an Akatsuki mission, and Kisame had the misfortune of being hired by his target as a guard. Needless to say, Itachi had won the battle and made off with the head of his assassinated target. What Itachi had not expected was for Kisame to come after him, cursing and swearing as he did so. Journey interrupted, Itachi had to release the head of his target to fight the persistent Mist shinobi. However, as persistent as he was, it had been clear that Kisame would not win. The battle had ended with his katana and kunai pinning Kisame's legs and arms to the ground. For reasons unknown, he had allowed Kisame to live. He did not know why he had done so. Perhaps he had recognized the Mist shinobi's talents then. Or perhaps he appreciated Kisame's persistence.

A few months later, they had crossed path again. This time, Kisame had himself surrounded by a group of rogue shinobi. Hidden by a concealment jutsu, Itachi had simply regarded him assessingly as the blue-skinned nin dispatched one enemy after another. Until a new batch of enemies suddenly appeared behind the Mist shinobi. Only then had Itachi interfered in the battle. Hours later, standing amidst the broken bodies of the group of rogue shinobi, they had stared at each other warily. It had not taken Itachi long to come to a decision to extend an invitation to Kisame to join the Akatsuki. After all, he had been ordered to find himself a partner.

Unsurprisingly, Kisame had sneered at him and promptly rejected the offer. Itachi had simply nodded and left without another word.

The next time they saw each other, Kisame had given him an affirmative response.

The corner of his lips lifted slightly as he thought of Kisame's role in his life in those years. They had been partners since then even though Pein had not been too pleased with Kisame's presence initially. The Mist shinobi's crass manners seemed to offend the Akatsuki leader, much to Itachi's amusement. However, Pein had recognized Kisame skills and consented to his entry into the Akatsuki.

The partnership had been shaky to start with. But soon, they reached an understanding, allowing them to work together effectively. Itachi had expected Kisame to betray him at some point, but it had not happened. They had worked as partners for the past ten years, and yet, Kisame had shown no signs of betrayal like so many others before him.

It had amused him that although older, Kisame had eventually ended up following his lead. At least in matters of missions.

Itachi's lips quirked slightly when he recalled how Kisame had taunted him about the attention he had unwittingly garnered from the female population each time they entered civilian villages. These situations only escalated as he drew older, in those villages where his identity was unknown. He recalled how Kisame had pressed him to accept the pursuit of a civilian woman shortly after he turned sixteen. Curiosity had won out, and he had given in to the urges of the flesh.

Since then, he had occasionally indulged in the activity. They were casual encounters, never lasting more than a couple of weeks at the most. Those women knew that he was a passing shinobi, with an unknown background, but it had not stoppped them from gravitating towards him. He had learnt something about those them then, that although some were content to accept the casual dalliance, there were those who sought more. The latter were generally of the mind that they could charm him into remaining with them, to change him to suit their perception of what he should be. It was laughably naïve of them.

But with Sakura, it was… different. Even though Sakura knew exactly who he was, she had knowingly involved herself with him. She did not seem to care about his past, nor had she attempted to persuade him to change. He had felt no such pressure while they were together.

He scowled darkly. In the past, it had been easy to take what he wanted from the rest of the women and then leave. With Sakura, it never seemed to be enough. He wanted more, even though he did not know what exactly he wished for. Her entry into his life had changed things, made him think of things he preferred not to consider.

The realization that she was not who she had claimed to be struck a sore note in him, reminding him of the role Shisui had played in his life. Like Shisui, she had been acting, pretending, fooling him with those emerald eyes and her lies.

For all her faults, he was incapable of killing her, however close it had been. That kunai would have easily sliced through her throat, taking her life swiftly while her thick red blood soaked the ground around her. Then he would be rid of her, rid of this weakness Madara had pointed out to him. But he could not do it. Furthermore, knowing she was too injured to defend herself against anything at that moment, it had taken him all his will-power to leave her. The urge to remain beside her had been so strong, like nothing he had ever felt before.

The slight change in the air interrupted his contemplations and Itachi instantly straightened from the tree limb he had been sitting on, pressing himself flat against the tree trunk. Sharingan fully activated, he expanded his senses to detect the newcomer.

Then his expression cleared when the identity of the shinobi approaching the cliffside became clear. Dropping down from the tree, he landed soundlessly on the ground.

"Kisame," he called out.

Moments later, the blue-skinned nin appeared. Itachi regarded him warily, uncertain of Kisame's loyalties now that the Akatsuki had effectively disbanded. The taller shinobi's cloak was badly torn, revealing the blood-stained mesh shirt underneath. It was clear that he had a difficult time with the Suna shinobi.

"Itachi-san," Kisame greeted.

Itachi inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"So, you made it out," the Mist shinobi continued, the corner of his lips quirking slightly. "Wasn't sure what to think when I went back to the chamber to find everyone gone except Tobi… Madara and the two jinchuuriki."

This time, Itachi raised a brow. "What did you see?"

Staring out into the horizon, Kisame began, "Madara sealed your Amaterasu with some technique I've never seen before. Then those two jinchuuriki brats decided to attack him. But that's not the strangest thing."

Itachi waited for him to continue.

Brows slightly furrowed, Kisame went on, "I thought Pein was dead, but he got up suddenly. The Shukaku's vessel left Madara to fight Pein but Pein was obviously still injured, so it wasn't long before he got taken down again. He put up a good fight, though, so the Kazekage wasn't in such great state at the end of that either."

"Is Madara alive?"

Kisame shrugged. "I left before any of them got me involved. None of my business, the way I see it." After a short pause, he turned to look over his shoulder. "So, what happened to the rest?"

Glancing away from the Mist shinobi, Itachi replied flatly, "Gone."

Silence filled the air, and Itachi took the opportunity to remove his Akatsuki cloak. Its symbolism no longer existed and there was no need for him to continue wearing it. Tossing it onto the ground, Itachi performed a fire jutsu and in moments, the cloak went up in flames. Kisame's familiar presence neared him then, and Itachi tensed slightly.

To his surprise, another Akatsuki cloak joined his, fuelling the fire.

"Heh! The whole Akatsuki thing really went down the drain, huh?" Kisame remarked casually, sitting down on the grass.

"Aa."

Shaking his head, Kisame muttered, "From seven Akatsuki down to what? Nothing? I wonder what happened to Deidara. The last I saw, he was running away from that hachibi jinchuuriki." After a short pause, he added, "And Konan didn't last long against the Suna ANBU. Left me to deal with them all on my own. Almost didn't make it, myself."

"Suna's ANBU is skilled," Itachi pointed out absently, recalling the time he and Sakura had fought against them. When he realized the direction of his thoughts, he immediately gritted his teeth, irked by the realization that everything seemed to be colored by his thoughts of the kunoichi. No, he refused to allow her to invade his mind further.

Stepping away from the clearing, Itachi went to a nearby tree and sat down against it. Soon, Kisame joined him. For a long while, they simply sat in silence, staring at the nearby river. Then the Mist shinobi broke the silence.

"This is one surprising day. I didn't figure Tobi to be the one behind the scenes," the Mist shinobi said thoughtfully. "But now that I think about it, he was a little off at times."

"Hm."

"That idiot Pein sure rushed it with Madara, otherwise he would still be alive."

"Perhaps."

A pause followed before Kisame spoke again. This time, his tone was quieter. "And I didn't figure the kunoichi to be a Konoha spy either."

Itachi swallowed past the bitterness in his throat. "Neither did I." He inhaled slowly before he continued, "Pein suspected."

"Really? Pein suspected Deidara too." A chuckle left Kisame. "The kunoichi, huh? She must have been a pretty good actress to pull it off."

Itachi's jaw tightened. Yes, she certainly had everyone fooled. Him included.

"Maybe it's not all an act."

Itachi glanced sharply at the Mist shinobi. Kisame was staring into the distance, his brows furrowed slightly as he chewed on a blade of grass.

"No one can act _that_ well," Kisame continued gruffly.

"She had you fooled," he pointed out tersely.

Kisame shrugged. "Maybe. But she did a lot of things she didn't have to do. It's quite obvious that Konoha wants all of us dead, but look at what the kunoichi did. She healed us instead. Could have left us weakened."

"It was an act," Itachi reiterated.

"To gain our confidence? Maybe. But she didn't need to regenerate Deidara's arm."

"Your point is?" Itachi ground out tightly, irritated by Kisame's insistence on talking about Sakura.

Kisame regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, and then he stood up. "Nothing."

Itachi's lips thinned. The topic of Sakura was a sore one, and to his consternation, he found himself more bothered about her betrayal than his failure in killing Madara. The oddest thing was that Itachi did not know why he was so unsettled about it. As a missing-nin, he had his share of betrayals after all. In fact, in terms of being a traitor, he had done worse than Sakura.

"So, Itachi-san. So what do we do now?" Kisame asked, breaking the silence.

"We?" Itachi echoed, studying Kisame carefully. There was no longer an Akatsuki, therefore Kisame did not need to follow him.

The Mist shinobi nodded. "I'm sure you have some plans, right?"

"Akatsuki does not exist anymore."

"I know that. But if you don't mind, I'll just stick around for a while. What do you say to that?"

Surprised that Kisame wanted to accompany him, Itachi did not answer for a while. He felt a twinge of something unfamiliar at the realization that Kisame had chosen to accompany him, even though he had no obligation to do so.

Then he nodded. "Suit yourself." Besides, Kisame's strength could prove to be invaluable.

"So what's the plan?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed in determination. The plan was simple. He knew what Madara was after, and he knew that after so many battles in the extraction chamber, the older Uchiha would require some time to restore his strength. It would be several days more before Madara made his move.

Then Itachi would make his own move.

"We'll be taking Madara down."

* * *

A heartfelt groan escaped her lips as Sakura peeled her eyes open. Her entire body was so sore that she was almost sure that the sensation itself was enough to kill her. In fact, she was surprised that one could feel so much pain all at once.

The first person she saw was a familiar blonde dressed in the typical shinobi mesh top and pants, his Akatsuki cloak missing. He was standing by the window. Scanning her surrounding, she noted that they were in a bright bedroom, with yellow walls and wooden furniture, a room which she did not recall seeing before.

Deidara turned away from the window to face her. "You're finally awake, hm?"

Sakura blinked blearily as she sat up. "Deidara?" she croaked. "Where are we?"

"An inn. We're at the border between Wind and Fire Country."

Then everything came rushing back and she groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Why am I still alive?"

The mattress dipped, telling her that he had sat down beside her. "Enough about the dying thing, yeah. I'm sick of hearing it."

Sakura sighed as she looked up at a scowling Deidara. For some reason, the sight was oddly reassuring. "You saved me," she murmured.

He looked away. "Yeah."

She could still hardly believe that an Akatsuki member had saved her even after knowing that she had betrayed them. But then again, if she remembered correctly, Deidara had said that he had been forced into the Akatsuki in the first place. So maybe it was a bit different for him.

"You spent the last one day sleeping, yeah. I was getting worried that you'll never wake up," Deidara muttered gruffly.

She smiled at the obvious concern on his still-scowling face. "Thanks Deidara."

Then she looked down to find herself covered in bandages. Glancing at the table beside the bed, she saw a pile of fabric that looked like her clothes. Gingerly, she called forth her medical chakra and began to explore her body, only to find that she still needed to heal quite a lot of herself before she could pronounce herself healthy.

But there was something wrong with the picture, and when it finally sank in, she glanced back up at the blonde.

"You bandaged me?" she asked quietly.

Deidara's eyes rounded in alarm and he immediately jumped off the bed. Once he was a safe distance away, he exclaimed, "What? You prefer to die of infection?"

Her lips twitched, but she managed to pull out a scowl. "So you did."

"Nothing I haven't seen before, yeah! And anyway, you're too thin for-"

"Deidara," she interrupted softly.

He paused.

"Thank you."

For a moment, he simply stared at her. Then a slow smirk crossed his face. "Can't let you die now, can we? And I think it's safe to call the score even now."

Sakura laughed, recalling the number of times she had healed him.

Gesturing to her body, Deidara said, "I think you need to finish it off, though. I think you have a few broken ribs, among other things."

She sighed. "I know."

Lifting up her hand, she called forth her medical chakra and this time, she focused on mending her bones. For a long while, the room was filled with nothing but the soothing hum of her healing chakra.

Deidara was the one who broke the silence. "So, what happened, hm?"

Sakura finished healing the last of her injuries before she looked up at him. "You saw what happened," she evaded, not really wanting to go into it.

"Yeah, I saw that shit with Madara and Pein before I was forced to go. Suna's ANBU was a pain." He paused momentarily before adding, "And I heard the thing with you being Konoha's spy."

Sakura winced.

He waved a dismissive hand around. "Hey, it's a job, yeah. I understand that."

She shot him an incredulous look. "You do?"

Deidara shrugged. "I didn't suspect anything. But now that I know, I think you did a seriously bad job of it."

"Huh?" Then she bristled when his words sank in. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean, hm? You could have killed us a few times over, yeah. But did you do it?" he challenged.

Sakura averted her eyes. Deidara was right.

A quiet chuckle made her look up to find Deidara giving her an odd look. "See? You're too soft, you know that? I can't believe you managed to fool us all in the first place."

"It wasn't all an act," she muttered quietly. "Not much of it was an act, actually."

Deidara stepped closer and then sat back on the edge of the bed. "Hey, we're not all blind, yeah."

"All?"

A small scowl entered his features as he gestured at her body. "It's obvious that some won't believe it's not all an act."

She swallowed before she averted her eyes. "Itachi."

Deidara shrugged. "Maybe you should explain things to him, yeah."

"I tried."

She tried, and yet, he refused to listen. Something twisted in her chest as she recalled Itachi's disdainful expression. It was obvious that his anger at her deception overshadowed whatever they had. He was not even willing to give her a chance to explain. Even though he did not kill her, it was as if he wanted nothing to do with her.

Her entire form stiffened at the thought. If that was the case, it would be stupid for her to keep thinking about him. Perhaps this was for the best, since there was no way they could be together anyway. Spending time thinking about what-ifs served no purpose.

Straightening in determination, she inhaled deeply. She was a Leaf kunoichi, trained by the Godaime herself and the infamous Copy-Nin. She was strong, and it was time to prove it. She would treat this just like another mission, albeit a failed one. But she would learn from it.

And she would not allow herself to hand over her heart to someone else so easily next time.

"Hey!"

She jumped slightly at Deidara's voice. "Huh?"

He eyed her speculatively. "What's with that look on your face, hm?"

She shook her head. "Nothing important."

Then both of them fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Trying to keep from thinking about Itachi again, she cast her attention on Deidara. The blonde had made his way to the window, a thoughtful look gracing his features.

Staring out of the window, Deidara muttered, "So what now?"

"What do you mean?" she ventured cautiously.

Gesturing in no particular direction, Deidara elaborated, "Akatsuki's gone. You're here and I'm here."

"So?"

He glanced over his shoulders at her. "So. Are you heading back to Konoha? Since you're their spy and all."

She flinched slightly. "I don't know."

He looked puzzled. "What do you mean, you don't know."

What should she do once she healed fully? Return to Konoha or remain outside? The fact that she had not killed any Akatsuki weighed heavily on her. Such a thing could be read as a form of betrayal, and she wondered just how was she going to explain it to her shishou. She could not kill them, no more than she could kill Naruto or Sasuke. So what did that make her? A traitor?

"Sakura?"

She glanced up at him, feeling pained at what she was about to say. "I was supposed to kill you all. I received a direct order to take out as many as I can."

He did not even blink. "So?"

"But I didn't." A heavy sigh left her. "I just… couldn't."

"You Leaf-nins are too soft," he pointed out blandly.

She glared at him.

He smirked. "But I got to admit that you all are quite strong, yeah."

Slumping, she buried her face in her hands. She definitely did not feel strong right now.

"That friend of yours, Naruto, he's pretty impressive back in the chamber. I haven't seen that level of chakra in a shinobi before. And hell, this is without the kyuubi in him. Shame he lost, though."

Her head snapped up instantly. "Lost?" The last time she saw Naruto, he had been standing upright, and battling no one. "What do you mean he lost?" she pressed urgently. She had been so selfishly absorbed in her own problems that she had forgotten about Naruto and the rest. How could she?

"Oh, you weren't there, yeah."

"So?" she prompted impatiently. "What happened?"

"When I got there, Pein's dead. Killed by someone. Suna's Kazekage was injured. And your friend was fighting Madara."

Sakura's mouth went dry. Naruto was fighting Madara alone? Was he out of his mind? "Is he alive?"

"I think so. His chakra was still flaring even though he was unconscious. Towards the end, Madara used some kind of doujutsu on him. Naruto just stood there, frozen. I'm guessing Madara was extracting some information from his mind."

"The kyuubi," Sakura whispered apprehensively.

Deidara nodded. "Yeah, I think so. That was what he was after all along, wasn't it?"

"You think Madara will gather the rest of you to help him?" she asked.

Deidara scowled. "I don't give a shit what Madara wants," he spat. "Did you hear what he said back there? He was planning to use us, he's not planning to leave us with anything. And I thought Pein was bad."

"Madara is… different. Inhuman," Sakura murmured.

"He should be dead, yeah." After a short pause, Deidara added, "I should just hunt him down and kill him. Blast him sky high with my bombs."

She frowned at him. "No offence, Deidara. But Madara is stronger than that. Not to mention he's far more experienced than the rest of us."

"Everyone has a weak point," Deidara pointed out stubbornly, turning fully towards her. "And I bet his weak point has something to do with the kyuubi. All I have to do is to find out what it is."

Her lips parted slightly. Deidara rarely demonstrated this side of himself, but when he did, she was reminded that he was considered one of the geniuses of their generation.

"Why do you want to go after him?" she asked.

A thoughtful look crossed his face, and then he shrugged. "Nothing better to do."

Her eyes bulged in disbelief. "And for that, you're willing to risk your neck? Are you out of your mind, Deidara?"

He smirked at her. "This is coming from a kunoichi who infiltrated Akatsuki alone, yeah. Now who's out of their mind?"

Sakura sagged.

* * *

The partially-healed Kazekage stood next to the window, staring out silently, while Tsunade eyed the bed-ridden Naruto with no small amount of concern. Unlike his usual cheerful self, Naruto wore a grim expression as he flicked a look outside. The atmosphere in the room was tense.

When Naruto and Gaara had returned alive, Tsunade had been relieved. Both of them had been injured, but the Kazekage's injuries were minor compared to Naruto's. It was hardly surprising, considering Naruto had been subjected to Madara's Mangekyou and goodness knew what else.

Although Gaara had specifically instructed that Temari should take his place if he did not return, there was no doubt that political chaos would ensue if that had happened. Not that she could have done anything to prevent him from going with Naruto in the first place. As the Kazekage, Gaara had the power to do as he wished. Tsunade only wished that he had thought a little bit more of the consequences before he had plotted that crazy plan with Naruto. His excuse was that he wanted to retrieve what belonged to Suna, the Shukaku. At least he had succeeded in that one task. Unfortunately, the ANBU squads he had sent out did not fare so well.

Only two out of six Akatsuki had been destroyed, and the other four Akatsuki had escaped. But their main problem now was the one who called himself Tobi, the one who was actually Uchiha Madara. It was imperative that they focused on him now.

But now, much to her annoyance, Naruto wanted her to wait for another piece of the information. She did not know why he had called for Morino Ibiki, and Naruto refused to say anything else until the interrogator arrived. And as she expected, Gaara supported Naruto in his decision. Considering Naruto's ambition, it occurred to her that Naruto's and Gaara's closeness would be something unheard of between Kages. It was a good thing for both countries. They could already see the difference in the relationship between Suna and Konoha now.

When the knock sounded upon the door, Tsunade released the breath she had been holding. "Come in."

Morino Ibiki entered. "You called, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade nodded before turning her attention back to Naruto. "Now, will you tell us what happened next?"

Naruto turned to the interrogator. "You have ways of extracting information, right? Like really clearly? For others to see?"

Ibiki frowned. "Yes."

"What do you need it for, Naruto?"

"I need you to extract my memories, the things I've seen in the extraction chamber."

Tsunade sucked in a sharp breath. The technique was not an easy one, nor a painless one. There was an interrogation technique used on stubborn enemies who refused to divulge their knowledge. Why would Naruto want something like this done to him?

"Why, Naruto? You could just tell us what happened."

Smiling slightly, Naruto shook his head. "Yeah, but I think you need to actually see it. It went too fast for me to understand what was happening. I didn't really get what was happening half the time. Trust me on this, Baa-chan."

Tsunade frowned.

Inhaling deeply, Naruto continued, "And I think Sasuke needs to see it to understand why Itachi is the way he is."

* * *

Two days had passed since the failed extraction.

Dashing away the sweat from her forehead, Sakura panted lightly as she swept her gaze around the clearing. She and Deidara had been sparring for the last one hour, agreeing to forgo their more sophisticated jutsu for basic techniques only. After all, she had just recovered and simply wanted to loosen her limbs, not injure herself again.

Where was Deidara anyway? He was there just a second ago and now he was gone. But this time, she was not planning to underestimate him. Losing to Deidara once was enough as far as she was concerned.

The slight rustle of the leaves overhead was the only warning she received before a shadow fell over her. Eyes widening slightly, she darted to the side, substituting herself as she did so. Deidara's kunai connected with her substituted body, which promptly puffed into a log.

Turning around, she laughed at the disgruntled look on the blonde's face.

"This is not fun, yeah," Deidara complained.

"It's supposed to be a light exercise, Deidara. I'm planning to go all out just yet."

Deidara scowled, clearly irritated at being denied the use of his explosives. "I don't see the point of this."

Sakura opened her mouth to respond, but instead, she froze at the familiar tingle. A second later, her eyes widened when tendrils of air wrapped around her, calling for her attention. It was a message from Konoha.

Glancing to the side, she noted Deidara's narrowed eyes. "It's a message," she explained.

He raised a brow. "Konoha?"

She nodded. Knowing that no one but her could hear the message, she executed the necessary jutsu to unlock it. And then the whispery message made its way to her ears.

"Infiltration mission terminated. Return home at once."

When it sank in completely, Sakura stared blankly into the forest. Now that the instruction had arrived, she simply could not ignore it. Tsunade wanted her to go back to Konoha, but for some reason, she felt as if there was something else she needed to do out there. That she could not go back without finishing her business here as a missing-nin.

Then it occurred to her that her thoughts were bordering on traitorous. Well, she had betrayed Konoha, hadn't she? She could have done her job and tried to kill the Akatsuki while she had the chance. But she did not. She made one excuse after another and in the end, she did nothing to carry out the order. So that made her a traitor, didn't it? Was that the real reason for her reluctance to return to Konoha?

"What does it say, hm?"

Feeling troubled, she glanced at him. Should she trust him? She did not know whom to trust anymore. But Deidara could have killed her when he found her. Instead, he had carried her back to his hideout. That meant something, right?

Averting her eyes, she murmured, "They want me to return to Konoha."

Deidara simply nodded. "Well, your mission is over. So it's expected, yeah."

Her eyes shot up to his, stunned at his matter-of-fact words. "So, you wouldn't stop me?"

He shrugged. "You can do whatever you want. Akatsuki is gone now."

Sakura closed her eyes and let out a heavy breath, letting herself sink down onto the ground. Hugging her knees, she muttered, "Deidara, I really don't know what to think anymore."

He sat down opposite her, his blue eyes studying her carefully. "You mind explaining that, hm?"

It occurred to her that she was probably betraying Konoha by just talking about this, but at that moment, she could not care less. "It was supposed to be so simple, just a mission."

"You mean infiltrating Akatsuki?"

She nodded. "It was all going as planned. Then slowly, I don't know when, things changed. I think I changed. And things got complicated."

"Things like that happen. You cannot plan for everything, yeah."

A bitter smile crossed her face. "So it seems."

"You'll move past it. You'll see."

Surprised, her eyes widened momentarily and then her lips twitched. "You're the last person I expect to receive advice from."

He adopted an offended look.

"But I appreciate it anyway."

Deidara simply snorted in response. "So? Are we going or what?"

Had she heard correctly? "We?" she echoed disbelievingly. "You want to head to Konoha with me?"

Deidara shrugged. "That's where all the action is going to be, yeah. With Madara heading there for the kyuubi."

"You can't be serious about fighting Madara," she protested. "It's too dangerous, not to mention the rest of the Leaf shinobi will apprehend you on sight."

"I won't be going into the village compound. I'll hang around outside until Madara turns up."

"You're out of your mind, Deidara."

He smirked. "I'm just looking for some challenge, yeah."

She shook her head in exasperation. "So, you're not coming into the village, right?"

"Not unless necessary."

She frowned at his response. But she knew that in the end, there was nothing she could do to stop him if he wanted to follow her. All she could do was to hope that they did not encounter any Konoha shinobi, otherwise she would be forced to beg Tsunade to allow Deidara to live. And when she did that, her shishou would throw her into the dungeons together with Deidara.

"Fine, come with me to Konoha if you want to, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"I can take care of myself, Sakura."

Sakura sighed, wishing that she was as confident as he was about this particular matter.

* * *

As they had done countless times in the past, Kisame walked silently beside him, their footsteps making only the slightest of sounds as they tracked through the Fire Country forest. Itachi was aware of Kisame's misgivings about walking into Konoha again, but it had to be done.

His plan was simple, perhaps too simple, but it was all he could come up with at such short notice. Assuming that Madara was still in hiding to restore his strength, it left the coast free for Kisame to distract the Leaf shinobi while he used his Sharingan to locate the kyuubi. Once the kyuubi was found, he would wait in hiding until Madara appeared. He had yet to come up with a plan beyond that.

A small nudge of awareness broke his contemplations and Itachi tensed suddenly at what his senses were telling him. Was it simply a coincidence? Frowning thoughtfully, Itachi wondered what he should do next.

"You sensed that?" Kisame asked quietly.

"Aa."

There was no mistaking the familiar presences of the two shinobi some distance away in front of them. Then it dawned upon him that the two had not bothered to cloak their chakra. Irritation coursed through Itachi as he wondered just how much more foolish they could be, traveling in Fire Country in such a manner. When he realized what he was thinking, he stiffened further. Surely it no longer mattered to him if the kunoichi wished to endanger herself. Besides, she was in no danger from the Leaf shinobi. She was their spy, after all.

But what about Deidara? Why were they traveling together? Did he not realize that the kunoichi was a traitor? Or perhaps Deidara had known about it all along and did not care. They had always been rather close, Itachi recalled darkly.

"We should go see what they are up to."

Itachi glanced sharply at Kisame. "No." His tone was clipped.

Kisame regarded him thoughtfully, and then his brows furrowed. "Deidara is there as well. He can help with this Madara situation."

"It is not necessary."

A moment of silence passed before Kisame spoke again. "You know as well as I do that Deidara owes no loyalty to the Akatsuki. Hell, he's a free agent right now and we could use his techniques just in case Leaf decides to attack us."

"You're questioning my decision?" Itachi responded silkily, the hint of threat in his words unmistakable.

Unperturbed, Kisame smirked. "Only when it's blatantly flawed."

"Flawed," Itachi echoed tightly. Perhaps he should reconsider his decision to allow Kisame to come with him.

Releasing a heavy puff of air, Kisame said, "Look. When it comes to anything associated with the kunoichi, you're definitely not seeing things clearly. The fact that Deidara is with her says something, don't you think?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed. Despite his anger at the kunoichi's betrayal, he still felt a stab of what he was quickly recognizing as jealousy whenever Deidara was mentioned in relation to Sakura. Why was it that she always seemed to be together with the blonde?

Kisame ploughed on, "All I'm saying is that we should talk to them, see where they stand."

"It is clear where they stand."

"Deidara is with Sakura, and they're definitely not fighting each other. You can't really think that Deidara is on Leaf's side?" Kisame challenged.

Put that way, it did seem rather unlikely. However, Itachi had no intention of approaching them.

"We will not approach them, Kisame," he stipulated stonily.

To his surprise, Kisame's brows furrowed deeply. "Itachi-san. I know this is none of my business. But we've been partners too long for me to keep my mouth shut."

Itachi stared at him. It had been almost a decade since Kisame last stood against him in such a manner, and he did not know what to make of it. All he knew was that the loss of Kisame's support brought forth an uncomfortable feeling within him. Still, perhaps it was best that they parted ways, if they could not agree on such a minor thing.

"You are free to do what you wish, Kisame," Itachi declared flatly, turning to walk away.

What he did not expect was for Kisame to block his path. Irked at the move, Itachi snapped his hand up and in a blink of an eye, the blade of a gleaming kunai was pressed against Kisame's throat.

"Do not stand in my way," Itachi warned icily.

Kisame eyed him unflinchingly. "You got better over the years but now you're behaving exactly the way you did when I first met you. Like an idiot."

Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"I get it. You have issues with trust. Hell, which of us missing-nins don't?" Kisame added in a hard voice.

The urge to silence the blue-skinned nin was strong, and Itachi pressed the kunai harder against Kisame's throat, drawing a thin, red line of blood. Trust? Only the foolish trust freely, the way he had trusted the clan at the beginning, the way he had trusted Shisui later, and the way he had trusted…

Itachi paused as realization dawned. When had he begun to trust Sakura? How could he have allowed himself to do so? How could he have allowed himself such vulnerability after everything that had happened?

Kisame continued with unerring accuracy, "You think she betrayed your trust, don't you?"

"Do not speak of things you do not understand." His tone was brittle.

Kisame snorted derisively. "Just open your eyes. She didn't betray _us_, she betrayed Akatsuki. There's a difference there, don't you think? We let our guards down around her so much that it would have been simple for her to kill us, if she wanted to. But she didn't."

The look he gave Kisame displayed his disbelief, but the Mist shinobi simply went on.

"We missing-nins have to often trust our gut instincts. And my gut instinct tells me that Sakura's not out to take us down. What does yours tell you?"

What his was telling was not something suitable to be shared with others. His instinct was telling him to seek her out, and to see if she had survived their battle, as foolish as it was. Foolish, because a medic-nin of her level could easily heal herself. Foolish, because he should not harbor any such emotions towards her. Foolish, because deep down, he could admit that after everything, he still wished to see her no matter what the reason was.

If he gave in to Kisame, would this be the last time he spoke to Sakura? After this, she would be back in Konoha soon, and chances of them meeting would be slim, unless she was assigned the task of a hunter-nin. Would she attempt to hunt him down to kill him then?

The image of Sakura wearing ANBU gear flashed across his eyes. What would he see underneath the ANBU uniform and the mask? Would she reach for him with the intent to kill, instead of embracing him? Would her emerald eyes stare at him with hatred, instead of affection? Would her lips threaten him, instead of joining his in a heated kiss?

Itachi's eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fist when something else occurred to him. Once she was back in Konoha, would those lips of hers accept another man's? Would she respond to the other man's touches the way she had done with his? The mere thought of it clouded his mind with fury, telling him that he would never be able to accept such a thing.

In a quieter voice, Kisame continued, "Good things don't always happen to the likes of us, Itachi-san. But when it does, we should not throw it away. Life's short enough as it is."

Kisame's words ringing in his ears, Itachi slowly lowered the kunai. Perhaps Kisame had a point.

In that case, there was only one thing left for him to do.

* * *

He was there.

He was not far away from them, certainly close enough to know that she was close by. She knew he was there from that prickly feeling at the back of her neck. It was faint, somewhat muffled behind a masking technique, but Sakura could recognize Itachi's presence from miles away.

At that point, she cursed herself for not bothering to cloak her presence. What the hell was she thinking? That she was safe now that she was so close to Konoha?

Knowing that he was close by did strange things to her emotions. Much to her chagrin, she was suddenly assailed by an unwanted desire to see him. How was he doing now that Akatsuki no longer existed? Was he still seeking Madara and like Deidara, he was heading towards Konoha to intercept the older Uchiha? Would he deign to speak to her if she went to him right now? Maybe he had cooled down enough to listen to her explanations.

What the hell was she thinking?!

She berated herself mentally for her wayward thoughts. If she was not so attuned to Itachi, she would not have been able to sense his presence in the first place. But now that she had, she had no intention of hanging around. Who knows, his kunai might not miss this time. Anger sparked at the thought and she ground her teeth together. Well, she would not be so weak this time. This time, she would behave like a kunoichi should, not like a lovesick woman.

Mind made up, she quickened her steps, intent on putting as much distance as possible between her and Itachi. Unfortunately, her senses told her that Itachi was gaining on her. And Kisame, she realized as her steps faltered in her surprise. So Shark-Face had survived after all, she thought, relieved.

"Uh, Sakura?"

"Keep moving," Sakura bit out tersely.

"What's the hurry, yeah?" Deidara retorted.

"Itachi and Kisame are here."

Blue eyes blinked. "What's so bad about that, hm?"

She shot him a dark look, one which he returned with a knowing grin. He knew fully well why she wanted to get away from this area.

"Don't you want to say hi to Kisame?" Deidara asked.

"It's not Kisame I'm worried about," Sakura replied flatly.

"Ah… Must be the Uchiha that you're trying to avoid."

"Deidara, just shut up and move."

Blessed silence followed then. However, the moment Sakura thought Deidara had dropped the topic, she felt his uncompromising fingers clamping around her arm, bringing her to an abrupt halt. Spinning around, she glared at him.

"Let go, Deidara," she hissed.

Unperturbed, he pointed out, "Look, yeah. He didn't kill you when he could. Doesn't that tell you something?"

"Probably payback for all those times I healed him."

"You really think he cares about that?" Deidara asked incredulously. "Have you forgotten who we're talking about? If he meant to finish the job, he would."

Sakura bit her lips. Yes, sometimes Itachi's ruthlessness escaped her mind. It was not the first time either, but even when it was right in front of her, she could not bring herself to hate him for it. Her feelings for him were stronger than that. But it was obviously not enough to keep them together.

No, she thought as her expression darkened. It was not her feelings that were not enough, but Itachi's faith in her. He was so ready to believe the worst of her, even to the extent of not wanting to listen to her explanations. Could he not see how she felt for him?

She shook the thought away. Enough time had been spent mulling over the relationship between her and Itachi and it was time to let it go. After all, she was supposed to be back in Konoha and once that happened, this chapter of her life was over.

Firmly extricating her arm from Deidara's grip, she sighed heavily. "Stay if you want to, Deidara. Anyway, I got to go back to Konoha, so we'll separate eventually. Do what you want to do, but I'm not hanging around here."

"Too late now."

"Huh?"

"You might as well wait."

Then her eyes widened when she realized that Itachi and Kisame were closing in on them. Turning to the side, she glared at a grinning Deidara.

"When they see you with me, they'll think you've turned traitor. And when we both die, it'll be your fault," she bit out irritably, but with a small amount of anxiety.

"We won't die. I don't sense any killing intent, yeah."

All conversation halted immediately when a smirking Kisame appeared from beyond the trees, followed by a stony-faced Itachi. Of their own volition, Sakura's eyes swept over his familiar features. He was looking at her, but as usual, his face was not betraying his thoughts. Forcibly, she yanked her gaze away from him, turning her attention to Kisame and the Samehada on his shoulder. Kisame did not look as if he was planning to kill her, but one could never tell with missing-nins.

"Glad to see you alive, Shark-Face," she said, straining to keep her voice even.

"You underestimate me, kunoichi. You think a few measly Suna ANBU is enough to take me down?"

The corner of her lips lifted. She was truly glad that he was alive. However, there was still a little problem about his presence here. Even though her own status was shaky, their relative statuses were definitely clear.

"You're in Leaf territory," she pointed out evenly.

Kisame raised a brow. "And so?" He gestured to Deidara. "He's not Leaf, the last I checked."

Deidara simply crossed his arms over his chest, smirking slightly.

Sakura shrugged. "Just thought you should watch your back."

"You sound almost as if you care, kunoichi." Kisame turned to Itachi. "Isn't that strange, Itachi-san? The little Leaf kunoichi is worried about us missing nins."

Sakura's gaze slanted towards Itachi, only to find him staring at her contemplatively. A little unnerved by his perusal and his silence, she turned back to Kisame. It was best to get to the point now.

"What are you doing here, Kisame?" she asked.

"Why do you need to know, kunoichi? Planning to report it back to Konoha?" Kisame retorted, inclining his head in challenge.

"Of course not!" she burst out before she could stop herself. Then, horrified by her own response, she backtracked. "Unless it's something detrimental to Konoha."

A knowing smirk crossed Kisame's lips. "You're too soft, kunoichi."

"That's what I told her, yeah," Deidara joined in. Then he pinned his eyes on the silent Itachi. "Hey, Uchiha. What's got your tongue? You're talking even less than usual."

Itachi's eyes narrowed and the air around them chilled. The dangerous glint in those crimson orbs propelled Sakura to yank hard on Deidara's sleeve. Had that idiot no sense of self-preservation? Itachi was obviously mad about something and this was no time to antagonize him.

Seeming oblivious to the tension, Deidara turned to Kisame. "Heading towards Konoha, are you?"

Kisame raised a brow. "Depends."

"On what?"

"Depends on which side you're on."

Tilting his head to one side. "I'm not on any side. But I'm planning on tracking down Madara and maybe engage in a little fight. See what he's made of."

"Then maybe you should join us." Kisame turned to Itachi then. "Don't you think, Itachi?"

"Hm."

Sakura stared at them disbelievingly. There were no flying kunai or shuriken, no huge displays of elemental jutsu, and everyone was talking to each other like the whole thing back in the extraction chamber had never happened. Why were they behaving so normal?

Oh, yes. The three of them had nothing against each other. But what about her? Soon enough, they would remember that she was no longer one of them. Would they turn on her then? Even Deidara? Suddenly feeling rather conscious of her own presence amidst the ex-Akatsuki members, Sakura took a step backwards. All three of them instantly swung towards her, watching her questioningly.

Forcing a small smile to her lips, she announced, "I'd better go. It's been… nice… working with you all these months. I'll… miss it. I-" she broke off, realizing that she sounded just as they had claimed. Soft.

Itachi's eyes flickered, Kisame brows lifted and Deidara released a snort. But they remained unmoving in the same spot, allowing her to take a few more steps back away from them. She had better leave before she made a complete fool out of herself. There was no point in hanging around anymore anyway. Konoha was just a couple of hours run away and she would be there soon.

With a final wave towards them, she spun around and launched herself into the trees. Heart oddly heavy, she blinked back the stinging sensation in her eyes as she sped towards Konoha. She was not crying, her eyes were stinging only because of the cold wind. She should be happy that she would be home soon. Those she had known since childhood would be there in Konoha, and finally, with this mission over, she could stop lying to them. They would soon find out that she was not a traitor to Konoha.

She should be happy, she insisted to herself, even as a single tear escaped down the corner of her left eye.

* * *

Anticipation coursed through Itachi as he streaked through the dense growth of trees, using his sharp senses to track the path of a certain kunoichi. She was mistaken if she thought she could leave so easily. There was one more unsettled issue, and before he received a response from her, he would not allow her to return to Konoha.

It was not long before he caught sight of her pink hair in the distance. He knew the moment she sensed his presence, for she stumbled slightly. Then, righting herself on the tree limb, she spun around to wait for him to catch up.

Soon, he landed on the same tree limb she was standing on. The limb bounced slightly at his additional weight, and then it settled. Sweeping his gaze over her, he took note of her red-rimmed eyes and felt his heart clench. Was she crying?

"Sakura."

"Itachi! What are you doing here?" she asked stiffly.

"We need to speak," he announced, getting straight to the point.

She looked startled, and then her lips slowly curved. The smile on her face was not one he had seen before. It was somewhat bitter, and… sad. He knew then that he would not like what she was about to say.

"You know, Itachi. Remember that time when you said we have nothing left to say to each other? I think you're right." She shook her head slowly. "Things had gone too far for anything to change."

"Not necessarily."

Confused emerald orbs snapped up to his. "What do you mean, Itachi?" she asked warily.

The words were at the tip of his tongue, but he was reluctant to say it. For once issued, he would not be able to retract it. Did he truly wish to say it? He studied her features, noting her pinched expression and the tense line of her shoulders. This encounter was just as unsettling for her as it was for him.

Her voice was strained when she prompted him. "Look. I'm not up to fighting at the moment. Whatever it is, just say it and we can part ways peacefully."

Annoyed, his jaw ticked. "We will not do such a thing."

Her eyes rounded. "What? We would not do what?"

"Stay," he intoned quietly.

Taking a step back, she gaped at him incredulously. Then, recovering slightly, she stammered, "W-What are you saying, Itachi? Stay? I don't understand."

Keeping his eyes pinned on her, he elaborated as calmly as he could, "Stay with us. Do not return to Konoha."

She blinked once at him.

And then her lips trembled, drawing his attention to them. Their last kiss instantly came to mind. The urge to close the distance between them was strong, but Itachi kept still. The fact that she had yet to respond favorably to his demand was disconcerting. But he knew that he could do nothing but wait.

After what seemed like an interminable period of silence, she finally spoke in a small voice.

"I can't."

The two soft, gentle words slammed into his chest, his throat constricting as their meaning sank in. It was a rejection, pure and simple. He supposed he should have expected it.

And yet, it hurt.

Perhaps that was how she had felt when he refused to listen to her explanations a few days ago. He should walk away now. He had followed his instincts and it had yielded nothing. Perhaps this would convince Kisame that he was wrong. But Itachi knew that this conversation was not one he would divulge to anyone else.

It was too painful.

"Itachi…" she whispered, her eyes shimmering with what appeared to be regret.

Not intending to prolong this encounter any longer, he simply inclined his head at her. The matter was settled. He turned away from her and leapt back in the direction he had come from, onto the adjacent tree limb.

"In that case, I shall leave you to return to Konoha," he murmured without looking back at her.

"Itachi, wait!" she called out urgently.

He twisted around just in time to capture her in his arms. She immediately froze, but he tightened his grip at the familiar sensation of her soft body close to his. As she breathed unevenly against his chest, he closed his eyes, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

For a long while, they simply remained in that position.

Then she murmured into his chest. "I want to stay with you. But I can't."

After a moment, he asked quietly, "Why?"

Several seconds ticked by before she responded. "I won't be able to live with myself if I betrayed Konoha. Konoha is family to me. I can't just leave them like that," she choked out. She lifted her head, and their eyes met. "Do you understand?"

No, he did not. Loyalty to his own clan had brought him nothing. Her loyalty to Konoha appeared to be stronger than whatever they shared.

Her emerald eyes sparked as something uncompromising graced her features. "If the circumstances were any different, I know that we'll be together. I love you, Itachi."

His breath caught in his chest and an odd warmth washed over him.

_She loved him._

* * *

A/N: That's it until the next update. There are two more chapters remaining to this story, but because they will be long (like the last chapter and this one), it will take longer for me to write them. If everything goes according to plan, the story will end by the end of August! I can't wait! Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the chapter and as always, please review if you could.

:elle6778:


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews you left for the last chapter. I hope you'll enjoy this one as well.

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 29**

She loved him.

As Itachi struggled to make sense of her words, he searched her features, as if that alone might provide him with some guidance as to how he should deal with this unexpected declaration. There was an earnest light in those emerald orbs. It was as if she was willing him to believe her.

He did not know if he could. In fact, he could not remember hearing those words directed at him before, although perhaps his mother had said something to that effect when he was a child. He could not remember.

So what did this mean?

He allowed his hands to fall away from her. Released, she did not step back. She continued to stare at him instead, awaiting his response. How would she have him respond to this? She claimed to love him, if such an emotion even existed, and yet, she wished to return to Konoha?

The unfamiliarity of the situation unsettled him and he began to wish that he had not listened to Kisame's ramblings. But it was not too late. He should have ample time to extricate himself from the situation before it spiraled further out of control, before she confused him even further.

So he did the only thing he could think of.

He took a step back and spun around, ready to leave. His words were not enough to persuade her to stay, therefore there was no longer any reason for him to remain. And yet, his feet were oddly heavy, oddly reluctant to initiate those steps which would increase the distance between them. Frustratingly, he found himself unable to move.

"Itachi, don't leave like this," she called out to his back.

He felt an inexplicable surge of anger then, and his hands clenched into tight fists. "What do you wish me to say?" he bit out.

The air shifted slightly and the next thing he knew, she was standing before him. Indecision clouded her features as she looked up at him. Struggling against the unfamiliar emotions roiling within him, Itachi had to use all his strength to keep his expression impassive.

"I don't know, Itachi. Just… stay a while."

Her hand came forward and took one of his unresponsive ones. Startled, he stared down at their entangled fingers. Without conscious thought, he rubbed his thumb over her skin. Would this be the last time he touched her in this manner? The thought was an unwelcomed one.

A heavy puff of air escaped her, drawing his attention back to her face. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me," she muttered.

Her eyes darted back and forth at nothing, showing just how uncomfortable she felt at the situation.

"Look. Forget it. I shouldn't have said-"

She broke off with a gasp as he caught her chin in his hand, forcing her to look up at him. He knew what she was about to say, but he did not want to hear it. Even though he did not understand how her words could affect him so much, he did not want her to rescind them. He needed time to think about it first, even though time was something they did not have.

"Don't," he said quietly, but there was no mistaking the firm command in that single word.

Wide-eyed, she stared at him questioningly even after he had released her chin. To his surprise, he saw something akin to comprehension lighting her features. What was she thinking? Before he could arrive at an answer, her lips curved into a smile. It was tentative, almost shy, but something slammed into his chest at the sight of it.

"I think I understand," she murmured as she slid her arms around his waist, resting her cheek on his chest.

He did not know what she meant, but he decided that it was best not to question it further. It was becoming increasingly clear to him that although she harbored feelings for him, she would never betray Konoha. It was simply not in her nature. Besides, Konoha had done nothing to sway her loyalties in the first place. He supposed that if he had not been treated the way he had been, he might be just as loyal to Konoha.

Suppressing a sigh of displeasure, he wondered where did this leave them? She could not remain with him without betraying Konoha, and he had no intention of presenting himself to Konoha to be sentenced and punished.

Perhaps what they had was enough. Perhaps it was all they could have. Somehow, the revelation did not please him. For one who had never wished for attachment of any description, he was certainly learning fast that he strongly wanted Sakura by his side. It was disturbing to say the least.

Lifting her head away from his chest, she asked quietly, "You're really going after Madara?"

"Hm."

"He's probably heading towards Konoha as we speak." Her brows furrowed. "If he's not there already."

"He will wait." After a short pause, Itachi added, "He needs a plan."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "Konoha is full of shinobi and they're probably on high-alert now. He won't get in easily."

"Perhaps."

Concern gracing her features, she said, "It's dangerous for you to go into Konoha too. They might not be targeting you, but they will attack you on sight."

He raised a brow at her.

She insisted, "You know they will, Itachi. Why don't you just let Konoha handle this?"

"The way Konoha handled him before? Allowing him to live?" he retorted levelly. Perhaps his life would have turned out differently without Madara's manipulation.

"We weren't there when he battled the Shodaime. I'm sure there's a good reason why Madara was not killed."

"Konoha's incompetence," Itachi pointed out blandly.

"Konoha is not incompetent!" she flared out defensively.

His lips quirked at her reaction. "Perhaps."

Her expression told him that she knew he was simply humoring her. Then she slumped slightly as a sorrowful expression crossed her features. Somehow, he knew that she was thinking about her trip back to Konoha. Was she having second thoughts about it?

She straightened, swallowing hard as she did so. "I've got to go," she murmured.

"Aa."

Her eyes flickered. "And you should move too. It's not safe for you all to wander around Fire Country like this. Especially so close to Konoha."

He nodded.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Then, giving in to his desire, he framed her face in his palms. As always, his blood rushed with anticipation as he lowered his head slowly, watching her eyelids flutter as he came closer.

Their lips met gently, and then with increasing urgency as it sank in that this could be the last time they stood so close to each other. Her arms went around his neck as she moaned against him. She always responded like this to his touches and in turn, he found himself unable to stop touching her.

Heat coursing through his veins, Itachi could not help but wonder if he should forcibly keep her with him. But as soon as the notion appeared, he dismissed it. She would find a way to leave if he did anything like that.

He had to let her go.

Slowly, they broke apart. Her face was flushed and her breath was ragged. Itachi suspected that he was not in a better state.

Her fingers went to her bottom lip. "Itachi…" she called out shakily.

"We will meet again," he said firmly.

It was inescapable. They might not be on the same side, but Itachi knew without a doubt that they would meet again. With a final nod, he turned away from her and disappeared into the dense foliage.

* * *

Kakashi stood apart from the rest, eyeing the proceedings over the top of his book. He was not fully healed yet, but he was not willing to miss this. Anyway, he should be here, considering the role he had, or had not, played in the past. Lowering his Icha-Icha book to see clearer, he winced as a sharp pain shot through his body at the slight movement.

There were seven inhabitants in the circular room, but none uttered a single word as a humming sound filled the air. A mix of chakra pulsed heavily around them while Ibiki and Anko focused on the jutsu, standing on either side of Naruto. Across them at the other end of the room, bound to a solid chair with chakra-suppressing bonds around his wrist and ankles, Sasuke glared malevolently at the moving, semi-transparent images at the centre of the room. Tsunade and Shikamaru stood not far away from the Uchiha, both ready to suppress their captive should the need arose.

Years and years of memories sped by at a blinding speed, just as Naruto had viewed it. But it was enough for Kakashi to understand what had happened to the older Uchiha. From a relatively normal child, Itachi had been pushed and molded to be a cold, ruthless killer, uncaring about anyone or anything. It had taken betrayal after betrayal, but eventually, he had succumbed to the so-called training. All it had taken was eight years, from when he was five to the time he fled Konoha.

Although Kakashi knew that the evidence before him somewhat resolved Itachi from some of the responsibility of the massacre, he also knew that Itachi was still considered guilty in Konoha's eyes. But that was not why they were they. They were not there to pardon Itachi.

They were there to bring Sasuke back.

With that thought, Kakashi slanted his gaze towards the rigid form of the younger Uchiha. Sasuke's black eyes glittered with fury and something else, something resembling confusion. That was Sasuke's only visible response to the fuzzy depiction of Itachi's past. Shifting his gaze back to the projections, Kakashi watched the images of the battle between Itachi and Shisui.

Idly, Kakashi wondered if it would be enough. Could Sasuke see that circumstances had dictated many of his older brother's actions, that perhaps if exposed to different sort of 'training' Itachi would not be the missing-nin he was this day? Nor would he have massacred his clan? Or was Sasuke so completely blinded by the need for revenge that the reasons no longer mattered?

Shoulders slumping slightly, Kakashi stifled a sigh. He sincerely hoped that it was not the latter. If Sasuke continued with his foolish desire for revenge, he would never fit back into Konoha. And since this was not something they could force him to forget, it was something Sasuke had to change in himself.

"Stop it."

The words were so soft that Kakashi almost missed it. But then Sasuke spoke again, and this time, although louder, his voice trembled.

"I said, stop it! I don't want to see this."

"You will watch, Uchiha," Tsunade instructed sternly.

The images continued to play, depicting the massacre from Itachi's perspective, showing how angry he was at the accusation and the numbing rage which followed it. Kakashi watched as Itachi moved slowly towards the silent family home, his katana dripping with the blood of countless Uchiha victims.

"STOP IT!"

Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut.

"Watch, Uchiha Sasuke!" Tsunade ground out.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, revealing the wild, agonized darkness in his onyx orbs. Kakashi sighed heavily, knowing how hard this must be for Sasuke. But it had to be done. When this was over, perhaps Sasuke would stop seeking revenge. Perhaps he would see that it was pointless to pursue such a thing.

Then the memories stopped abruptly.

Nothing could be heard except for Sasuke's heavy, rasping breath.

Kakashi understood why Ibiki and Anko stopped it there. Sasuke did not need to know about the subsequent battles in the extraction chamber, or Sakura's role in it.

Although, if everything went well, they would soon see Sakura in Konoha again.

A tired-looking Naruto stepped away from Ibiki and Anko. Kakashi considered stopping him from approaching Sasuke, and then he decided that perhaps Naruto was the best person to break through to the stubborn Uchiha. It was obvious that the rest in the room thought the same, for no one intercepted the blonde.

"He was forced into it, Sasuke," Naruto began softly.

Sasuke's lips curled in disgust. "Are you blind? He didn't stop it, he just did what he was told! It's his fault!"

Naruto's expression turned sad. "He tried to leave Konoha, remember? He didn't want any part of it. And he didn't kill your parents."

A snarl escaped the Uchiha. "He still killed the rest! He slaughtered them like they were nothing!"

Naruto simply stared at him while Kakashi shook his head slowly. It was true that Itachi had slaughtered them. But that was not the point. The point was to show Sasuke that circumstances had prompted Itachi's actions and that it had not been a random act of aggression. The point was to keep the last viable Uchiha in Konoha, preferably willingly. They could not afford to lose the Sharingan, so they had to do whatever it took to persuade Sasuke to remain.

However, perhaps now was not the right time to force the issue. Sasuke needed time to digest the information, and think over things without everyone pressuring him. They could present him with his options tomorrow.

Pasting on a bright smile, Kakashi clapped his hands together, drawing everyone's attention.

"Well, that's it, then!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "Time to leave this place."

Naruto gave him an incredulous look. "Kakashi-sensei?"

"What are you talking about, Hatake?" Ibiki asked with a frown. "He's not-"

Cutting him off, Kakashi said to Tsunade, "Hokage-sama, it's probably best to continue tomorrow, don't you think?"

Tsunade eyed him assessingly before she turned to look at the wild-eyed Sasuke. "Perhaps you're right."

Kakashi beamed. "Of course I am. Now, let's go."

* * *

She could see it.

Through gaps between the trees, Sakura could see the majestic gates looming up before her, shrouded lightly in the morning mist. A pent up breath escaped her slowly, fogging up the air before her. She was finally back. After more than two years of not seeing Konoha, she was finally back.

She would be ecstatic, if not for one thing. Sorrow coursed through her at the thought of not being able to see Itachi again. At least, not with both of them on the same side. She might be seeing him soon though, considering Madara's intentions.

She gave herself a mental shake. This was no time to think about Itachi.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the treeline and strode purposefully towards Konoha. This was it. She was home.

The gaping gates grew larger with each silent step she took. Seemingly alone, the only sound she could hear was the steady thud of her heart as she approached. It was barely dawn, so she was surrounded by stillness. But that did not mean that she was not being watched.

Therefore, it was not surprising when she saw a figure materializing at the gates. As she stepped closer, the mist cleared and his features became more visible. Sakura felt a lump in her throat as recognition dawned.

Eyes wide in his face, Kotetsu stared at her. Then he blinked rapidly, his gaze darting around and behind him before he ducked back into the observation hut. When he emerged, there was a dark brown fabric draped over his arm.

He stopped in front of her, a small smile curving his lips. "Tsunade updated a few of us on your status. But I don't know if everyone knows yet. You'd better go to her at once." He shook out the fabric, revealing a hooded cloak. "Here, wear this. That hair of your attracts attention. And mask your chakra."

Her lips twitching, she nodded. "Thanks, Kotetsu. I'll be careful."

Looking sheepish, he raised a hand to rub the back of his head. "Yeah, what am I thinking? Stealth must be your thing, being a spy and all. Not to mention you can hold your own against those missing nins."

"Not all of them," she murmured as she donned the dark brown cloak. It was heavy and it smelled a little musty, but at least it was a good disguise.

With a silent nod to Kotetsu, Sakura strode past the gates to enter Konoha. Her steps were slow as she walked along the road. The shops were still closed, and would not open until a couple of hours later. Sakura bit her lips to stop them from trembling. The familiar sights shook her more than she thought it would.

Finding herself in front of the Hokage Tower, Sakura slid past two curious chuunin guards, nodding curtly at them as she did so. They must be new, because she did not recognize them. What else had changed while she was away?

Her journey to the top of the tower progressed uninterrupted and before she knew it, she was standing in front of Tsunade's office.

Taking a deep breath to still her nerves, she knocked firmly.

"Who is it?!" came the grouchy respond. "Come in and make it quick!"

Sakura pushed the door open and walked in. The crown of her shishou's blonde head came into view. She was bent over some scrolls and as usual, the mountains of paperwork on her desk threatened to topple over. Affection washed over Sakura then, and she swallowed past the lump on her throat. This was all so familiar. And she missed it so much.

"So? What is it?!"

Tsunade looked up and right before Sakura's eyes, her shishou froze.

"Sakura?" she whispered as she stood up, the frown disappearing from her face.

Overcome by emotion, Sakura could only nod.

Then, abruptly, Tsunade turned away from her to stare out of the window. For a moment, Sakura was confused by the other's action, until she heard the almost imperceptible sound of her shishou inhaling and exhaling slowly, as if to calm herself.

"Report," the Hokage instructed firmly, still facing the window.

Sakura nodded, dreading her shishou's reaction to what she was about to say. "Mission… not accomplished, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade spun around, staring at her with an incredulous look. "Explain."

Swallowing, Sakura continued, "I did not kill any of them, even though the Akatsuki is now disbanded."

"Oh." A contemplative look crossed Tsunade's features. "So you think you failed."

"Yes."

Silence descended upon them. Her happiness at returning home was dimming by the second as Sakura waited for her shishou's reaction. Would she be punished for failing to follow orders?

"Sakura."

The stern rap of her shishou's voice made her jump. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

A honey-colored brow arched. Then Tsunade sat back down behind her desk. Folding her hands underneath her chin, she said, "Your objective as a spy is to collect information and send it back to Konoha. Have you not done so? Have you neglected to pass on any information that would assist Konoha?"

Sakura's eyes widened. "No, shishou. Sometimes it was a little difficult to get away to send a message, but I haven't missed out any important information."

"So why do you think you've failed?"

Sakura clenched her hands. "I didn't kill them."

Tsunade stared at her contemplatively. "Hm."

Did her shishou suspect something? Was her face turning red or something? What would Tsunade do if she found out about her friendship with the Akatsuki, not to mention her relationship with Itachi? Would she be banished from Konoha.

To her surprise, Tsunade waved a dismissive hand around. "We have something else to focus on now."

Guessing what she meant, Sakura nodded. "Madara."

"Yes. He managed to extract the information about the kyuubi from Naruto. And we expect him to attack anytime now."

Recalling what Itachi had said, Sakura remarked, "Maybe not so soon. He would not charge into Konoha without a plan."

Tsunade frowned slightly. "Oh? You know him quite well then?"

Sakura shook her head. "Madara disguised himself as Tobi. We went on a couple of missions together, that's all. I was teamed up with Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame."

Shaking her head slowly, Tsunade chuckled. "It's difficult to imagine what it must be like to work with them."

Not trusting herself to speak about them without cracking up, Sakura simply smiled. She would not have guessed that she would get along well with them in the first place, but she did.

"Well, you have a week to prepare your report. I'm sure you have a lot to cover. Now go home and stay there while I clear up your status with the rest of Konoha. Keep your head covered."

"Can I go see Naruto first? I mean, he aware of my real status already."

Tsunade gave her a small smile. "I suppose it wouldn't harm anything. Just make sure no one else sees you. Don't want them attacking you on your first day back, do we?"

She shook her head. "No."

Turning around, she began to walk out of the office. She was almost at the door when Tsunade's voice halted her.

"Welcome back, Sakura."

A warm feeling washed over her. Turning around to face her shishou, Sakura responded, "I'm glad to be back, Tsunade-shishou."

* * *

"He's still not saying much," Naruto grumbled as he paced across Kakashi's hospital room. "When the hell is he going to see sense?!"

"Hm."

"I don't understand! I mean, it's not like he's alone. We're all here for him, right, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Aa."

He threw his hands up in the air. "So why don't he just take the deal already?"

Silence was the only response he received.

Naruto spun around, glaring at the silver-haired jounin. Here he was, trying to help with the teme's situation, but Kakashi could not even be bothered to take his eyes off his Icha-Icha book. That damned book was definitely not as important as Sasuke's current situation.

Fully intending to snatch the book away, Naruto darted towards the bed.

The book immediately disappeared from sight, revealing Kakashi's visible eye.

"You said something, Naruto?" he asked innocently, quirking a brow.

Naruto glowered as he jabbed a finger in his sensei's direction. "Are you going to help the teme or not?"

A single brow rose. "Help?"

"What if Sasuke refuses to agree to the terms?" Naruto yelled. "What if he's stubborn enough to want revenge?!"

Kakashi shrugged. "It's his choice."

He opened his mouth to protest against Kakashi apparent dismissal of Sasuke's situation, but stopped short when the silver-haired jounin raised a hand.

"We can't force him to do anything, Naruto. He will have to make the decision."

Naruto slumped. "But-" He broke off abruptly as his senses pricked at him.

Near the window, a shadow flashed by.

An intruder! Instantly at full alert, Naruto spun around abruptly, four kunai clenched between his fingers in readiness as he faced the uninvited guest. A thick, hooded cloak obscured the intruder's slight form, leaving only a pair of shinobi sandals visible beneath the hem.

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto snapped.

"Sakura," Kakashi suddenly called out. "Naruto, can't you recognize your own teammate?"

Naruto jumped, staring back and forth between Kakashi and the cloaked figure. Sakura? What was Kakashi saying? It could not be Sakura… could it? Was Sakura really back? Blinking rapidly, he peered closer. Reining in his alarm, he tried to indentify her chakra, only to find that it was masked.

"Sakura?" Naruto ventured as anticipation filled him.

The cloaked figure lifted an arm to toss back the hood, revealing a smiling face capped with a mass of pink hair. Naruto sucked in a sharp breath at her familiar face, and then he broke into a huge grin.

"SAKURA-CHAN! YOU'RE BACK!"

He rushed forward, briefly catching sight of a pair of alarmed emerald orbs before he caught her in his arms. Her breathless laughter brushed his ears as he lifted her up, spinning her around. It was so good to see her in Konoha again.

With a final squeeze, he set her back on the floor and stepped back.

"Is everything okay, Sakura-chan?"

She blinked at him. "Okay? Yes, of course. I'm back here, right?"

He shook his head. "I mean when you went after Itachi."

"Oh, that." Gesturing dismissively in the air, she muttered, "I lost. And I was… recuperating for the last few days."

Naruto swept his eyes over her worriedly. "But you're okay now?"

She nodded. "I'm a medic, remember?"

Naruto grinned. "Yeah." Gesturing towards his bed-ridden sensei, he continued, "I bet Kakashi-sensei here would have preferred your treatment than Tsunade's."

Wearing an exasperated look, Sakura turned towards their sensei. "So, Sensei," she called out chidingly. "What did you do to yourself this time?"

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled. "Ah, Sakura. Just the usual. I was trying to save this little old lady-"

"Cut the crap, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto interjected with a grin. Turning to her, he said, "He took down Danzou."

Sakura's lips parted as she recalled the last message she had sent to Konoha. "Danzou? So he's gone? Dead?"

Kakashi nodded. "It was too dangerous to let him live. Your information was the confirmation that we needed to make a move. But this is classified, so keep it to yourself."

Sakura nodded.

"But the most classified thing must have been Sakura, right?" Naruto remarked. "You got us all fooled for two years."

"It was necessary. Her life would be in danger if that information leaked out," Kakashi pointed out. He shrugged. "Well, she's back now. So everything is fine on that end."

Sakura frowned. "It is not. We still have Madara to contend with. He's coming after the kyuubi."

Kakashi nodded. "We know."

"We'll deal with it when it comes to it, okay?" Naruto said.

Recalling what he and Kakashi had been discussing just before Sakura made an appearance, Naruto brightened further. Surely Sakura would help him persuade Sasuke to see sense, especially considering just how strong her feelings for Sasuke were. Maybe Sasuke would stop being so stubborn then.

And the best thing was, the three of them were back in Konoha. At long last, Team 7 could be reformed. He would make sure it happened.

"Come on!" he urged enthusiastically. "Let's go pay the teme a visit."

* * *

Sakura blinked as Naruto beamed brightly before her. He was practically vibrating with excitement. What did he just say?

When his words sank in, Sakura inhaled sharply. With everything that had happened, she almost forgotten that she had sent Sasuke back to Konoha on Yatagarasu. And now, Naruto wanted her to go visit Sasuke?

"Sasuke?" she ventured. "You want to go visit Sasuke?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, he's under lock-down in the Uchiha compound. But Baa-chan said he'll be released in a couple of weeks or so." A frown marred his features. "Provided he… um… cooperates."

Her smile was weak, but Naruto ignored it.

"The Uchiha compound had been cleaned up, and he's there alone now. He must be sick of it," Naruto carried on blithely.

Uncertain that this was a good idea considering what had happened the last time she and Sasuke had faced each other, Sakura could only sigh. Naruto was no doubt excited about their reunion, but she feared that her blonde-haired friend would be disappointed. Somehow, she could not see Sasuke greeting her with much enthusiasm.

"Let's go," Naruto exclaimed as he clamped a hand around her wrist to drag her out.

"Goodbye, Kakashi-sensei! Don't try to escape from your room," Sakura called out the familiar words over her shoulders as she was propelled out of the room.

Kakashi's chuckle grew fainter as they continued down the corridor. Conscious that she might be recognized and she did not know if Tsunade had passed on the news of her status yet, Sakura drew her hood up to cover her head. Naruto gave her an odd look, but he did not comment. He simply continued to drag her out of the hospital and into the streets.

"We'll have to go for ramen soon!" Naruto exclaimed, casting a brief look at Ichiraku ramen as they passed it.

She stared wistfully at the ramen stand, recalling all the time they had eaten there before she went on her infiltration mission. It seemed like such a long time ago, so long that this seemed almost like a dream.

They were taking the back route, hence missing most of the early risers. As Naruto continued to rush her through Konoha, she took in the sights that were so familiar and yet different. The roof of the bookstore had been replaced with a new one, and the doors to the bathhouse had been given a new coat of paint. They were little things, but things she noticed nonetheless.

Before she knew it, they were standing in front of Sasuke's house. How would Sasuke take her presence? The way they had parted last time was nowhere near amicable. Not to mention he would no doubt blame her for his current predicament.

"Yo, teme! I brought a visitor!" Naruto yelled.

The response was muffled, but there was no mistaking Sasuke's voice. "Get out of my house!"

Naruto smirked as he turned to her. Conspiratorially, he whispered, "He's just mad that he's stuck in this house. See the wards?" Naruto gestured at the tags placed on the wooden walls around the house. "Ten Ten made them. No one with Uchiha blood can get past those."

Sakura raised a brow. "Oh."

He pushed the door open. "Come on, Sakura."

Hesitantly, she followed him into the house. Almost immediately, a dark form seated cross-legged on the tatami mat came into view. The body, clad in an Uchiha-crested attire, stiffened at their approach.

"Leave," Sasuke bit out without turning around.

Completely ignoring his words, Naruto exclaimed cheerfully, "Look who I brought with me. Sakura is finally back."

Sakura tensed as Sasuke straightened to his full height before turning around to face them. Would he attack them? As he crossed his arms over his chest, her eyes went to the bands encircling his wrists. Chakra-suppressing bands, she noted, relaxing visibly.

Their eyes met.

"So. Not a traitor after all," Sasuke remarked blandly.

She arched a brow. "Disappointed, Sasuke?"

"No. Just surprised that Akatsuki let you walk away."

"Oh! Akatsuki is destroyed," Naruto supplied. "It was all part of Sakura's mission, you see. Tsunade sent her in as a spy."

The younger Uchiha simply glanced away, not bothering to respond. Sakura wondered what he was thinking. Was he plotting ways to kill her for thwarting his plans for revenge? Her heart felt heavy as she thought of how much things had changed between them.

As if sensing the tension, Naruto laughed out loud, an obviously forced move. "Hey, hey, what's with the long faces, huh? We're all together again. Team 7, right? Both you and Sakura left for a while, but that's okay now, right?"

Sakura grimaced, not knowing how to respond to Naruto's enthusiasm. Much as she would like to return to those happy days when they were all so innocent, she knew that it was impossible. However, she could not bring herself to burst Naruto's bubble.

"There's no Team 7."

Her eyes shot towards Sasuke. His terse observation also drew Naruto's attention. The flicker of disappointment in Naruto's eyes was visible only for a brief moment, and then he was laughing out loud once again.

"Yeah, so long as you don't agree to the terms for your release, you're stuck here. And I guess there's no Team 7 then."

"What terms?" Sakura asked curiously.

Naruto smirked. "Teme's supposed to start restoring his clan as a punishment for his defection."

Sasuke glared at him. Across the room, Sakura stared at the moody Uchiha, trying to make sense of those words Naruto had spoken. Restoring his clan? Was that not one of Sasuke's ambition anyway? Perhaps he just did not want to be forced into it.

Unconcerned by their silences, Naruto continued blithely, "Baa-chan said that he can either do it by taking on a wife willingly, or it would be done artificially if he insists on-"

"Shut up, dobe!" Sasuke interrupted with a snarl.

Naruto's smirk morphed into a grin. "Eh, come to think of it, it's not a bad idea if you and Sakura-"

"Naruto!" Sakura interjected quickly, not wanting to continue the line of the conversation. It made her uncomfortable, talking about such things when Sasuke clearly resented them. Or perhaps he simply resented her, not Naruto.

Sasuke looked away without a single comment, staring out of the window. He was pointedly ignoring them, and Sakura felt awkward being there.

"I thought you liked him," Naruto ventured. "You chased after him for years, remember?"

Sakura closed her eyes, wishing that Naruto would drop the topic. Yes, she had made a fool of herself then, but people learn and people change, right? So it was not unthinkable that her attention had shifted elsewhere, namely Itachi. Not that anything could come out of that.

"It's not like that anymore, Naruto," she muttered uncomfortably.

Naruto stared at her questioningly.

Not wanting to elaborate, she waved a dismissive hand around. "It has been years. I grew out of it."

This time, Sasuke joined Naruto in the staring. Feeling increasingly ill at ease, Sakura averted her eyes and walked to the window. Staring out at the boundary wall surrounding the compound, she wondered how they would take it if they found out about her and Itachi. Probably not to well, she thought wryly. It was best not to say anything to any of them.

Bringing forth a smile, she turned back to face Naruto, purposely avoiding looking at Sasuke. "Anyway, I'm sure there are plenty of kunoichi out there who would be more than happy to marry Sasuke. He's quite popular with the girls, after all."

Naruto blinked at her. "I guess," he muttered, and then darted a sideway glance at the silent Sasuke. "But I still don't understand why-"

"It's because of him," Sasuke suddenly interjected in an icy tone.

Sakura glanced sharply at the Uchiha, noting the stony look gracing his features. Did he know? Could he have guessed?

"Him?" Naruto echoed questioningly. "Who are you talking about?"

"Itachi," Sasuke bit out, sounding as if the very name disgusted him.

"Huh?" Naruto looked confused.

Sakura willed herself to remain calm. "This has nothing to do with Itachi," she declared. Then in a harder voice, she added, "Not everything revolves around him, Sasuke."

"He defended you. It is not something he does," Sasuke pointed out.

"As far as Itachi was concerned, I am his partner. He could hardly let you kill me without interfering," Sakura snapped, her patience wearing thin.

Turning to Sasuke, Naruto's eyes rounded in disbelief. "You tried to kill her?" he exclaimed. "Why the hell-"

"It's okay, Naruto," she interjected quickly. The last thing she wanted was for this to escalate into a brawl between the two of them. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"But-"

She quickly grabbed the blonde's arm. They needed to get out of here. "Let's go grab some ramen. I haven't eaten since yesterday."

Indecision clouded Naruto's features, but he nodded after a while. "Okay." Turning to Sasuke, he raised a hand, "I'll come by later, teme."

"Don't bother," Sasuke bit out.

"Let's go, Naruto," she insisted, wanting to get away.

With a final wave, Naruto left the building. Just as she was about to step over the threshold, Sasuke's voice halted her.

"Is he still alive?"

She did not need to ask Sasuke who he was referring to. After all, his mind had always been on Itachi.

"He's alive," she replied simply.

She waited for him to say something, but after a long while of silence, she decided that he had no intention of doing so. Shrugging inwardly, she stepped out of the house and followed Naruto out of the compound. Almost immediately, she felt a lot more light-hearted.

Naruto wanted them back together, but Sakura had doubts that it could ever happen.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since she rejoined the Leaf forces. And between then and now, she had apologized countless times to everyone she had lied to or fought against in the past two years. Some were still skeptical, but those did not know her well anyway. The important thing was that her closer friends had accepted back in their midst.

Walking along the street beside her childhood friend after their light lunch at Ichiraku, Sakura sighed softly. Things were back as it should be, but she kept feeling as if something was missing.

It occurred to her that she might be missing those few Akatsuki friends of hers. Not to mention Itachi. But there was nothing she could do about that little problem. More than once, she had found herself standing at the gates, sweeping her senses over the area in an attempt to see if Itachi or the rest were close by. But so far, she had detected nothing. It was difficult to accept that she might not see them for a long time.

Maybe in time, it would get easier.

"What's with that face, Forehead?" Ino asked suddenly, swinging to a halt in front of her.

Sakura blinked. "Huh?"

Planting her hands on her hips, Ino eyed her speculatively. "You're thinking about something. What is it? A man?"

Sakura pushed past her friend. "What are you talking about?" she muttered.

Ino went straight to the point. "You look love-sick."

"You must be out of your mind, Ino."

"You mean you didn't meet anyone in these two years?"

Rolling her eyes, Sakura replied, "Of course I met lots of people. Missing-nins, ANBUs from practically every village trying to kill me, civilians…"

Ino gave her a dry look. "You know that's not what I meant."

Sakura shook her head, laughing lightly. There was no way she would talk to Ino about Itachi. Especially knowing that Ino would ask her for every little detail. As close as they were, what she had shared with Itachi was special, and too private to be discussed with others.

"Oh! Look at that! Isn't that sweet," Ino whispered. "I can't believe it when he finally clued up. Took him long enough."

Sakura directed her gaze in the direction indicated by Ino. Hinata was standing at the bank of the river, facing a grinning Naruto who was balanced on the surface of the water. As she watched, Naruto held out a hand to the shy Hyuuga, inviting her to join him. Sakura's lips tilted in a wide smile as she watched them interact. She supposed it was simply a matter of time before it happened. From what she could tell in the last couple of weeks, they were happy with each other.

Turning away from them, Sakura continued to walk.

"I need to find someone," Ino muttered.

"Oh?" Sakura grinned at her. "Sasuke's back, isn't he?" she remarked pointedly.

"What do you think I am? Twelve?" Tapping her bottom lip with a finger, Ino continued, "But he looks quite good after all these years, doesn't he?"

"If you say so."

"You don't think so?" Ino shot back, giving her a skeptical look. "You're not going to fight me for him?"

"Fight you?" Sakura purposely adopted a mocking expression, knowing fully well that it would infuriate her friend. "You won't stand a chance against me."

Ino snorted. "You think you're the only one who improved over the years, Forehead?"

"You challenging me, Ino-Pig?" Sakura shot back.

Ino's chin tilted haughtily. "Why not?"

Grinning now, Sakura cracked her knuckles. "When and where?"

"Tomorrow. Training Ground Five at dawn."

"You're on."

Both of them glared at each other, their eyes gleaming with anticipation at the pending spar. A heady feeling rushed through Sakura when she realized just how much she had missed this and how glad she was to have it back.

It was as if Ino felt the same, for the blonde broke into a laugh suddenly. "Come on. Let's find Shikamaru. We need to persuade him to referee tomorrow. And to stop us if it looks like we're about to kill each other."

Sakura nodded.

It was then that she felt a prickle of awareness, and her entire body froze in shock. Recognition came quickly, but that was no longer surprising. Surreptitiously, she darted a glance in the direction of the east boundary wall of Konoha.

The presence she had detected moved swiftly from the boundary wall towards the mountains, raising her alarm.

A hand clamped around her arm and she jumped. Blinking, she saw Ino staring at her questioningly.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" she asked.

Sakura turned to her, shaking her head slowly. "I thought I sensed something, that's all. But it's nothing."

Ino raised a brow. "Those two years outside must have made you pretty paranoid."

"Saved my life a few times, you know."

She did not like lying to Ino, but in this instance, she had no choice. What she had to do now was to separate herself from Ino. She needed to get to him before she lost his trail.

"Look, Ino. I'd better go see Shishou. It's been two weeks since I got back and I'm ready to go out on a mission," she fabricated.

Ino's eyes rounded. "What? Again?! You've just been on a two year mission!" she exclaimed. "What's wrong with you?"

Sakura shrugged, drawing a look of disapproval from Ino.

"What about Shikamaru?"

"You don't need me to find Shikamaru, do you?"

Frowning, Ino muttered, "I suppose not."

"I'll come find you after I've spoken to Shishou. It shouldn't take too long."

Ino's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Hey, you're not trying to pull something to get out of tomorrow's match, are you?"

Sakura snorted. "Nothing short of an invasion would stop it, Ino."

Her friend grinned. "Well, I'll see you later then."

With a small wave, Sakura turned around and began to walk towards the Hokage Tower. Once she was certain that Ino was out of sight, she changed directions and her steps quickened. She could feel him nearby.

She finally found him standing on the Hokage mountain, hidden behind the carving of the Shodaime's head. For a moment, her breath caught in her throat and she had to resist the urge to run towards him. Instead, she took a few cautious steps forwards as he watched her intently.

"Itachi!" she hissed. "What are you doing out here in Konoha?"

He raised a brow at her. "Waiting for Madara."

She blinked at him disbelievingly. "You're going to get yourself caught!"

"You will arrest me?" he asked silkily, completely unperturbed.

No. She wanted him gone from here before she was forced to watch him and her Konoha friends fight. Before she had to choose between them. But wait! Did he say that he was waiting for Madara?

"Madara is heading this way?" she asked guardedly.

"Perhaps."

She was not amused by his response. "Damn it, Itachi! This is not a joking matter. Tell me."

Much to her impatience, he simply stared at her. But his silence was enough of an answer for her. There was no time to ask him how he knew about Madara's movement. He and the rest must have been tracking down the older Uchiha over the last two weeks. The important thing now was to tell Tsunade about Madara's approach.

She spun around, ready to head to the Hokage Tower to raise the alarm. Then his hand landed on her shoulder, preventing her from rushing away. Her breath caught when she encountered his familiar crimson orbs up close. There was something in them, something she could not quite understand.

"Do what you wish but do not stand in my way," he warned quietly.

She shook her head. "Itachi, we are all after the same thing here."

"I will not hold back even if you are in the way."

Softening, Sakura smiled a little. He sounded almost as if he was trying to convince himself. It was quite endearing. Shuffling forward, she slid her arms around him, feeling him tense at the movement. She inhaled deeply, adopting the familiar position of pressing her cheek against his chest.

"I don't expect you to, Itachi. I can take care of myself."

He regarded her contemplatively, and then nodded. "Then it is best that you don't delay."

"When is he coming?"

"Tonight."

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath.

* * *

A/N: Hope you've enjoyed the chapter. One more battle-filled chapter followed by an epilogue and this story will be complete. Chapter 30 should come out in about a week or so. As always, please review if you could. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews for Chapter 29. Here I am with the final chapter of this story. Well, as final as it could be considering that there's an epilogue. It is twice as long as a usual chapter, so you may want to get comfortable before you start reading. Please enjoy…

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 30**

The door to the Hokage's office burst open suddenly, followed by the hurried entrance of a certain pink-haired kunoichi.

"What's the meaning of this, Sakura?" the Hokage snapped in annoyance, jumping up from her seat.

Leaning listlessly against the wall, Shikamaru shifted his gaze from the Hokage back to the new arrival. Then his eyes narrowed slightly at the anxious expression on her face. Sensing that something must be wrong, Shikamaru straightened.

Sakura dragged in a deep breath. "Madara. He's heading this way."

Shikamaru tensed. "When?" he asked.

"Soon. Tonight," she replied.

"What?!" Tsunade exclaimed tersely, her eyes wide. "None of the patrols reported anything."

Shikamaru raised a brow. It was rather sudden, although they were expecting him. But how did Sakura obtain such an information? As far as he knew, the pink-haired kunoichi had been stuck within Konoha for the last couple of weeks.

Frowning as she stared at her apprentice, Tsunade asked, "Have you seen him heading this way?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, Tsunade-shishou."

"Then how did you get this information?"

Sakura bit her lips. To Shikamaru's surprise, he detected a hint of discomfort in her posture. Sakura was hiding something, but what? A quick glance towards the Hokage told him that she suspected the same thing. He raised a brow. Well, well, well… this was interesting.

"Sakura, what is it that you're not telling us?" Tsunade asked sternly.

Eyes flickering to the floor, Sakura swallowed.

Guessing that she had an informant, Shikamaru asked, "Who told you Madara is coming?"

She inhaled deeply. "Uchiha Itachi," she finally replied.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Him." After a short pause, she asked, "You kept in contact with them? Those Akatsuki that escaped?" Her voice rose. "Have you been sneaking out, Sakura?!"

Eyes wide, Sakura shook her head quickly. "It's only today, shishou. I sensed him nearby and went to see what he was up to. I'm not betraying Konoha," she insisted earnestly. "He confirmed that Madara's heading this way sometime tonight."

His own suspicion rising, Shikamaru knew that he had no choice but to ask, "Why would he tell you such a thing?"

"He's not on Madara's side. In fact, he's after Madara as well," Sakura replied levelly. "Naruto told me that you saw what he went through. So you can guess why he wants to destroy Madara."

Tsunade adopted a thoughtful look. "Hm."

Eyeing Sakura assessingly, Shikamaru could not help but wonder if there was more to the story. She had not spoken much about the rest of the Akatsuki ever since she returned. He had assumed that she did not know where Itachi, Kisame and Deidara were. Was she trying to protect them all this time?

"Where have they been since the battle in the extraction chamber?" he asked, his eyes not leaving her.

Sakura exhaled loudly. "I don't know, Shikamaru," she replied, sounding exasperated. "What is this? An interrogation? Aren't you going to do something about the security since Madara is heading straight here?"

Although he sensed that Sakura was telling the truth, Shikamaru decided to press on, "You trust Uchiha Itachi's information?"

She did not even hesitate. "Yes."

There was definitely something going on between the two of them. And the only thing that he could think of was that they had a personal relationship with each other. The moment it sank in, Shikamaru was stunned by the implications. Still, it was not impossible. Sakura had been with the Akatsuki for more than half a year, working closely and trusting them. Itachi was one of her partners. Something could have developed, knowing Sakura's nature.

Did this mean that she would betray Konoha to those missing-nins? He hated to consider it, but he knew that he needed to remain impartial.

No. He doubted it. Sakura was risking herself here, by exposing her source of information. It was not something she would do if she planned on betraying Konoha.

"So, Uchiha is waiting for Madara to show up as well?" Tsunade asked.

Sakura nodded.

Shikamaru sighed as he leaned back against the wall. "This is troublesome. With both Madara and the ex-Akatsuki here, things will get messy." After a short pause, he added, "Uchiha Itachi is only after Madara. Maybe we should let them fight it out."

"And if we happen to be in his way?" Tsunade asked. "Madara will come into Konoha for the kyuubi after all."

Sakura fell silent.

Tsunade's expression turned grim. "Just as I thought. Both Uchihas will simply run through Konoha with complete disregard to the safety of the village."

Yes, it would be difficult to stop two persistent Uchihas, he mused. Then an idea suddenly occurred to him. "Perhaps the situation is not so bad. In fact, it could be advantageous," Shikamaru ventured.

The Hokage raised a questioning brow at him.

"It would be good if we could to lure all of them into the Uchiha compound."

"The wards," Sakura breathed out, her expression displaying her dawning comprehension. "Their Uchiha blood will make sure they can't get out."

He nodded. "Exactly."

"Is it strong enough?" Tsunade asked.

He shrugged. "Ten Ten is not here, so I don't know. It will hold, at least for a while."

"Where is she?" Sakura asked.

"Out on a mission. Gai's team left a few days ago," Tsunade explained. "So we'll just have to make the best of it." She took a deep breath. "Shikamaru?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

The corner of her lips lifted in a smirk. "Madara is tracking the kyuubi, so why don't we make sure that he visits his old compound while he's at it?"

Comprehending the plan, Shikamaru nodded. "I'll get on to it now."

"Remember the binding plan," she said before turning to the pink-haired kunoichi. "Sakura?"

"Yes, Tsunade-shishou?"

"Gather everyone jounin-level and above and direct them here." Tsunade's eyes gleamed in determination. "It's time we end this once and for all."

* * *

The inky black sky hovered above, providing no illumination whatsoever to the people waiting impatiently under the cover of darkness.

Perched on top of the tall perimeter wall, Sakura stared out into the distance even though it was too dark to see anything. Would Madara come alone or with reinforcement? It was hard to say, but Sakura guessed that he would not be alone. He was not mad enough to assume that he could take down an entire hidden village by himself.

But he managed to kill half of his own clan all by himself, she reminded herself darkly.

The thought of the Uchiha clan made her think of Itachi, and she could not help but wonder where he was. Would he attack Madara before Madara reached the village, or would he wait until Madara's strength was depleted from the fight with the Leaf forces?

Somehow, Sakura had a feeling that it was the latter. There were only three of them after all, and they would need all the advantages they could get. And that meant waiting for Leaf to take as much damage as possible before the three of them moved in.

Sakura swallowed past the tight feeling in her throat. She felt traitorous even thinking about them, but she could not help it. Besides, without Itachi's information, they would probably remain unaware of the situation until it was too late. At least now they were prepared. Still, she remembered how Shikamaru and Tsunade had looked when she had broken the news to them. She knew that they were suspicious, but it could not be helped. At least they trusted her enough to listen.

A quiet voice suddenly broke the silence. "I see something."

Everyone immediately tensed, their attention shifting from the darkness to the long-haired kunoichi standing beside Kurenai. Veins around her eyes protruding from her skin, Hinata stared intently into the forest.

"What do you see, Hinata?" Yamato asked. "How many?"

She did not answer immediately. Instead, her brows furrowed as she continued to focus her pale eyes into the distance. After a while, she said, "Nine." A pause followed and then she added, "Their chakra is… strange."

"What?" Naruto grinned widely. "Only nine? We'll crush them in no time!"

"What do you mean, strange?" Sakura asked, ignoring Naruto's excitement.

Hinata turned to her, looking confused. "The distribution is not quite normal. It's uneven."

What did that mean, Sakura wondered. So Madara had brought reinforcements. Considering that he was attacking a hidden village, a total of nine seemed like a small number. Unless Madara had something else up his sleeves.

"They are moving in faster now," Hinata reported, her hand clenched against her chest.

Quickly performing the familiar enhancement jutsu, Sakura touched her glowing fingertips to her eyes. In the darkness, she could barely see anything, but her enhanced eyesight told her that several figures were approaching Konoha.

It did not take long for them to come close enough for her to identify and when she did, Sakura sucked in a sharp breath. It was impossible. All of them were there. All of them, bar herself and Madara. She did not know what she had expected to see, but it was definitely not this.

"What the hell… I thought some of those guys were dead!" Naruto exclaimed.

Knowing that there must be some logical explanation to this, she focused on their individual forms. As she studied the chakra pulsating around each of the so-called Akatsuki's bodies, the weird phenomenon before her finally made sense.

"They are clones," she announced grimly.

"Huh? Clones?"

Sakura nodded. "Remember the time we fought Itachi years ago? That was his clone."

"So Madara stuck the Akatsuki's chakra into some random shinobi's body," Naruto growled. "Bastard!"

The only way Madara could have gotten hold of the chakra of those deceased Akatsuki was from the crimson orb. There were probably some left over from the last time Kakuzu, Hidan and Sasori had fed the orb, which explained why their clones were there even when those Akatsuki had been killed long ago.

If she remembered correctly from the Akatsuki scrolls she had perused when she first joined them, the jutsu replicated the skills of a particular shinobi at the point when the chakra was collected. What the scroll had not told her was how Madara managed to control all of them. Madara must know something the rest of them did not. And what about her clone? Her chakra was locked in the crimson orb together with the rest of the Akatsuki, after all. Sakura's eyes swept over the group of clones, but she saw no sign of her own clone. Nor Madara, for that matter.

Whatever it was, they had better act fast, because those clones were coming closer and closer. Frowning, she noted that they were moving away from each other to cover more ground.

A sigh came from beside her, and Sakura turned around to see Shikamaru sagging.

"Looks like they are planning to surround us. How troublesome," he muttered.

"Spread out!" Yamato ordered. "Kurenai, Shikamaru, bring your teams and head west. Naruto and Sakura, grab any jounin you can find on the way and go to the east wall."

"Let's go, Sakura," Naruto urged.

Sakura nodded. As Yamato continued to bark out instructions, she and Naruto sped away east-wards.

As her feet skimmed the top of the stone boundary wall surrounding the Leaf compound, Sakura could not help but wonder where Itachi, Kisame and Deidara were. They knew that Madara was coming, but do they know that Madara was using their chakra to create his own reinforcements?

What would they do once they found out?

* * *

Crouched on a branch outside the Konoha walls, Itachi stared at the group of shinobi clad in the familiar Akatsuki cloaks. The dense leaves limited his view, but it was enough to identify the newcomers. He had not expected Madara to do this, but he supposed that the older Uchiha had little choice.

And yet, something was missing. Sakura's clone was missing. Was it a deliberate omission, or had Madara decided that nine clones of the older Akatsuki members would suffice? No. It did not make sense. Nine Akatsuki clones were not enough to subdue a hidden village as big as Konoha in the first place. Madara must have some other plan in mind. These clones were probably a diversion.

"I can't believe it, yeah," Deidara muttered darkly. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have left any chakra in those orbs. Should have just sucked out everything instead of living it to that leech!"

"Stop whining," Kisame ground out in annoyance. "You're not the only one Madara's using."

"Wait till I get my hands on that bastard," Deidara hissed. Swinging around, he asked impatiently, "So when the hell are we moving? We've been sitting here for hours."

Itachi slanted a warning look at the blonde. "We will wait for now."

"Wait?" Deidara's expression turned sour. "I'm sick of waiting. Why do we have to wait, yeah? The Leaf shinobi will take forever to take all of those fakes down."

Kisame frowned at him. "Just shut up, Deidara. He knows what he's doing. Probably let them kill each other off first before we move or something like that. Isn't that right, Itachi-san?"

"Aa."

"I say we just blow the whole lot of them up, yeah," Deidara snapped.

"Including Sakura, you mean?" Kisame shot back. "And let loose the kyuubi while we're at it?"

Muttering under his breath, Deidara turned back to glare at the clones. Itachi decided to ignore the blonde. Instead, he focused his attention on the oncoming troops.

Madara had obviously instructed the clones to split up, to cover more ground and to dilute Leaf's forces. As Kisame had noted earlier, Itachi had no plans to join the battle until it was advantageous to do so. The timing was critical. They would remain out of sight until Madara revealed the full extent of his plans. The three of them had to conserve their strength so that their attack would destroy Madara permanently.

A flash of pink caught his attention, and Itachi's felt something jolt within him.

Before this morning, they had not seen each other for two weeks. Although they had been separated before, those two weeks were different. Almost… painful. More than once during those two weeks, he had wondered how he would respond to a prolonged separation from her. Something told him that it would not be pleasant at all. Something told him that he would seek her out before long, regardless of whether she was stationed in Konoha or not.

For the last two weeks, he had grown increasingly convinced that perhaps that was not such a bad idea after all. Nevertheless, more planning was required if he chose to do so, seeing that he could not simply walk into Konoha to see her.

Silently, he watched as Sakura and her blonde teammate streaked along the top of the boundary walls, heading east. The rest of the Konoha shinobi appeared to be on the move as well, making their way to their allocated posts.

"Keep still," Itachi murmured almost soundlessly.

The other two did not respond verbally, but they did not move a muscle or did anything to compromise the cloud of illusion which hid them from the rest of the forest. Itachi allowed his eyes to follow a certain pink-haired kunoichi as she moved further and further away from them.

Although he had told Sakura that he would not hold back even if she was in the way, Itachi knew that he would be hard-pressed to do so. Though this was more than adequate evidence that she was his weakness, he found that it no longer bothered him as much. He would simply have to work around the so-called problem.

Recalling her words this morning, Itachi cast a glance in the direction of the Uchiha compound. He had wondered earlier if he should take the risk. Before she left, Sakura had warned him not to go near the area as it was warded against anyone with Uchiha blood and would trap those individuals within the compound. Like Sasuke.

He had no intention of setting foot in the place until six hours ago, just before dusk when he had sensed the movement of the kyuubi. It had been faint, but it was clear that the Leaf forces had decided to move the bijuu into the Uchiha compound. Therefore, regardless of Sakura's warning, he might need to head that way since it was Madara's ultimate destination. Still, even if he was trapped, he was confident that he would find a way out eventually.

Provided Sasuke did not stand in his way.

* * *

It did not take them long to reach their designated post on the west boundary wall of Konoha. Once there, standing on the top of the wall, Shikamaru caught sight of their opponents. He immediately scowled, recalling the last battle he had with the same two shinobi.

"You two again," Shikamaru muttered.

Asuma had been killed in a battle with Kakuzu and Hidan around four years ago but the memory of it was still clear to Shikamaru. The thought of it was enough to give him an additional surge of energy. He knew the way they fought, and this time, he would make sure no one on Leaf's side died.

"Hm, I wonder if the clones are as powerful," Kurenai murmured.

Beside her, Kiba suddenly exclaimed, "Look. There's another one."

Shikamaru glanced in the direction Kiba was gesturing. Almost hidden within the dense foliage surrounding the Konoha walls, there was another Akatsuki. His dual-section face was half obscured by what appeared to be a plant form with jagged edges.

"Zetsu," Shikamaru muttered, recognizing him.

Kurenai nodded. "My team will handle him. Can you handle the other two?"

Shikamaru nodded.

Ino smirked. "We'll get rid of them for good this time."

Crunching on the last of his potato chips, Chouji then crumpled the empty packet and nodded enthusiastically.

Hidan and Kakuzu came closer. The latter's expression was hidden behind his mask, but Hidan was smirking.

"Look what we got here, Kakuzu. They think they can stop us."

Kakuzu laughed.

"Ready?" Shikamaru asked.

His two teammates nodded. Glancing up into the dark sky, Shikamaru suppressed a sigh. The conditions were not good at all for his kind of jutsu, but he had come prepared. Reaching into the pocket of his vest, he withdrew a small cylindrical object.

"What the hell?" Hidan muttered.

Shikamaru snapped the object, instantly illuminating the area with the yellow light of the flare stick. Then he threw it to the side. When there was light, there would be shadows.

"_Kagemane-no-jutsu!"_ he called out.

His shadow sped forward, then merged with Kakuzu's, effectively trapping the Akatsuki clone. He needed to do more to subdue his opponent, but for now, he had stopped Kakuzu from assisting Hidan. Ino and Chouji could progress forward now. Darting a quick glance sideways, he found that his two teammates were already facing the well-groomed Akatsuki.

"I got this one covered," he announced.

"Good job, Shikamaru," Ino responded as she flung her kunai towards Hidan, who dealt deftly with the attack using a substitution jutsu. "We'll deal with this one."

Bringing his hands together, Chouji called forth his chakra and in a blink of an eye, his body expanded twice its original size. Beaming widely in anticipation, he stepped towards Hidan's clone.

"Fool, your size is not going to do any good," the Akatsuki sneered.

Ino punched a fist into the air. "Show him what you can do, Chouji!"

The largest member of their team nodded. Chouji morphed himself into a rounded shape, and then the ground rumbled as he rolled forward.

Shikamaru watched as the Akatsuki leapt up into the sky, neatly avoided being rolled over by Chouji. Landing beside the stream, Hidan turned to face them all just as Chouji straightened.

Lips curling condescendingly, the Akatsuki spat, "That's all you can do?"

Chouji responded with a confident lift of his brow. Guessing what was coming, Shikamaru watched with interest. His suspicions were confirmed with Chouji's fingers came together in a series of familiar seals. Once again, his body expanded at a rapid rate.

Then, with a heavy flare of chakra, Chouji jumped into the air.

He landed in a cloud of dust that obscured his figure from the rest of them. When the dust cleared, Shikamaru was unsurprised to see four identical Chouji's instead of just one. It was a body-split jutsu he had developed some time ago.

Before Chouji made his next move, a tug on his shadows caught Shikamaru's attention. He turned around to find the clone Kakuzu's right hand trembling in the effort to regain control. His lips thinned in annoyance. Kakuzu was attempting to escape his shadow bind.

It did not matter.

Soon enough, Kakuzu would lose.

Shikamaru would not allow anything else to happen.

* * *

Sakura could not believe her eyes.

Skidding to a halt on top of the wall, she stared down at the two oncoming Akatsuki clones. They were fast, their cloaks streaming out behind them as they came closer and closer to her. She suppressed a sigh. Fate must hate her. Of all the Akatsuki clones, she just had to encounter these two.

Naruto was the one to break the silence. "Hey, isn't that your two Akatsuki partners?"

Sakura nodded grimly. She could fight Kisame, but what about Itachi? Turning to her blonde friend, she asked, "Naruto, you think you can handle Itachi's clone? It's just that I know what Kisame's weaknesses are." And she did not think she could fight Itachi's clone effectively, considering her feelings for him.

Naruto straightened visibly, a smile breaking out on his face. "Of course! What do you take me for?"

"Remember his eyes, and-"

"His fingers," Naruto interjected with a grin. "I know, Sakura. I fought him before, remember?"

Deciding that Naruto knew what he was doing, she nodded. "Then I'll take Kisame's clone."

They split up, each drawing the attention of the relevant Akatsuki clone. Sakura dashed westward towards a clearing before she spun around to wait for the arrival of her opponent. Moments later, she was facing a sneering Kisame.

"What do we have here? A little pink traitor."

Her chin lifted. "You won't look so smug once you face is planted in the ground."

He laughed, a humorless sound that sent chills up her spine.

Kisame's clone was different from the one she had been sparring with for the last half a year or so. The killing intent in this one was clear, and he would not hesitate to crush her into a pulp if she even hesitated for a fraction of a second.

Her eyes narrowed in determination. She had won against Kisame before and she would have to make sure that this time, she would succeed. If she remembered correctly, unless the clone was controlled by the original, it would possess the skill from the time when the chakra was extracted. And in this case, it meant that Kisame's clone should only possess the strength from the time he joined the Akatsuki. He should be weaker than the original.

Kisame's clone made the first move, streaking forward with his weapon held before him.

Sakura flipped into the air, swiftly avoiding the heavy swipe of Samehada. When she landed, a sneering Kisame was waiting for her with a water jutsu. She barely had time to bring up an earth wall to intercept the attack.

Water collided with earth, and both elements were suspended in mid-air.

Sakura gritted her teeth as she held the jutsu. She had battled Kisame this way before, and after all their sparring, she knew that her earth jutsu was definitely powerful enough to stop his water jutsu. But then again this was a clone and she did not know what to expect.

Her arms began to tremble with the strain of holding Kisame's clone at bay.

Then, without warning, the mix of earth and water crashed down to the ground in a muddy mess.

She rushed towards him, and the two kunai she held in her hands clashed with his weapon. Her arms shot forward swiftly, trying to catch him but he managed to avoid it. It went on for a while, neither of them gaining an upper hand until the sight of Samehada heading right at her made her jump back.

Breathing heavily as she glared at the smirking Kisame. He was not even winded, while she already could feel the strain of fighting with him. But then again, this was a clone, not the real Kisame. Who knew what else Madara had done to it?

A fireball rushed towards her, and for a stunned moment, she could not move.

Fire jutsu? Kisame with a fire jutsu? What the hell?

Snapping herself out of her shock, she quickly substituted herself with a log, successfully avoiding being burnt by the fire. This was not one of Kisame's techniques, at least not one she recognized. And considering how many times they had sparred in the past, there was no way she could have missed this.

Then her lips parted in comprehension. Madara was controlling Kisame and like all Uchiha, his main elemental strength was fire. And since Madara had left some of his chakra in the clone, it explained why Kisame was able to execute the fire technique.

Damn! Not only she had to fight Kisame's usual techniques, she now had to watch out for Madara's as well? With Madara's experience, who knew that other jutsu he would come up with?

She grimaced. There was only one thing she could think of doing now, and that was to avoid using elemental techniques. Her only hope was to count on the fact that her techniques were not common. Shaping her chakra into blades around her hands, she darted directly at Kisame.

"Shannaro!"

Her glowing hands sliced through the air, heading for Kisame's clone. He lifted Samehada to block, but she twisted away from it. Sliding past him, she spun back around with a kick directed at his spine. Unfortunately, he managed to leap out of the way.

They continued fighting at close range, and as time passed, Sakura grew more confident that she was gaining the upper hand. The clone might be powerful, but she was more agile. Already, she could sense the annoyance emanating from him. And being a clone, he had limited chakra, most of it being used just to keep the cloning jutsu going in the first place. He would definitely weaken soon.

She smirked inwardly. It was time to speed up.

Knowing that she had to distract him from her real aim, she jabbed her hands at his midsection. He brought Samehada down, nearly slicing off her hands. Without a pause, she somersaulted over him.

Kisame's weak spot was his head and she immediately aimed for it. He tried to twist out of the way, but the blade of her hand managed to skim the back of his skull, drawing a snarl of pain from him. His hands went up, clutching the sides of his head.

She landed behind him and drew out her kunai, following up on her previous attack. Distracted by the pain, he did not see her next attack coming.

She stabbed the kunai into the back of his neck.

He stiffened and then jerked, a choking sound escaping him. Blood poured out of his wound as his chakra fluctuated erratically. Then the body slumped to the ground lifelessly and the blueness leached off the skin, revealing a pale-skinned rogue shinobi.

Sakura closed her eyes, releasing a breath of relief.

She won.

* * *

Itachi moved silently through the trees, taking care to keep himself hidden from Madara's clones and the Leaf forces. He could see Deidara's clone fighting with the latter, and it appeared that the clone was winning. The Leaf ANBU was clearly unprepared for someone of Deidara's caliber.

Itachi halted, crouching low on the branch as an explosion rocked the air. Shouts of pain followed soon after. A number of bodies, some injured and some dead, fell to the ground as the smoke cleared. High up in the air, Deidara's clone laughed maniacally, obviously pleased with his success.

"I could have done better," the real Deidara muttered grumpily beside him.

Itachi raised a brow. "Is he not what you are?"

Deidara glowered.

Then his eyes narrowed when he saw Deidara's clone directing his clay bird towards the east. Sakura was there, he immediately thought. Apparently, he was not the only one who realized it, for Deidara immediately cursed under his breath.

"I'm going after the damn clone," the blonde announced as he launched himself onto another tree limb.

"Do not interfere," Itachi warned icily, following behind him.

Deidara snorted. "I'll do what I like, yeah."

Itachi gritted his teeth. Eyes pinned on Deidara's back, he wondered if he should forcibly stop the rash shinobi from exposing their presence. However, that would mean a battle, and a battle was one thing that _would_ attract attention.

Perhaps he should continue to follow Deidara if only to minimize the damage.

"Shit! He's heading straight for Sakura," Deidara muttered suddenly, his steps faltering.

The unmistakable note of concern in Deidara's voice drew a frown from Itachi. "Hm."

"That's all you can say, Uchiha? She'll be blown up into bits, yeah."

"Perhaps you underestimate her."

Deidara gave him a disgusted look. "And you underestimate my clone. Do whatever you want. I'm going to her." Then he sped up, leaving Itachi behind.

Itachi's immediate thought was to remain on his original course to check on the progress of the rest of the battle. A couple of hours had passed since the clones invaded Konoha and there was still no sign of Madara, which meant that they still did not know what Madara intended to do.

And then he hesitated. The desire to keep himself hidden and the desire to see for himself that Sakura was well warred within him. Itachi grimaced. Much as he disliked it, he could not help but wonder if Deidara was right. After all, Sakura had lost to Deidara in their sparring match not long ago.

With an exhalation of resignation and annoyance, he took off in the direction Deidara had disappeared to just moments ago. He told himself that his decision was not influenced solely by Sakura, but also Deidara's rashness. He trusted Kisame to lay low, but Deidara was another matter. It was too risky to leave Deidara to go off on his own, at least for now.

It did not take long for Itachi to reach the eastern boundary wall of Konoha. Sweeping his eyes over the area, he saw the dead body of a shinobi he did not recognize in the distance. It must have been the body which served as Kisame's clone.

Moving off the wall to head into the adjacent forest, he moved stealthily until he found Sakura facing Deidara's clone. She seemed to be handling him well, so far.

Some distance away, Naruto was battling his clone. An indefinable jolt ran through him when Itachi took in the intense expression on his clone's face. It was clear that his clone meant to kill his opponents. Was his clone capable of conscious thought at all, or was he fully under Madara's control?

Could he exert any control over his clone?

The moment the thought occurred to him, Itachi moved closer to Naruto's battle and focused his attention on the clone. He attempted to enforce his will onto the clone, but soon found that there was something blocking his attempts. His lips thinned in displeasure when he realized that the small amount of Madara's chakra within the clone's body was preventing the interference.

A choke cry sounded, drawing Itachi's eyes to the other end of the battle ground. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the rain of white clay around Sakura. She was fast, avoiding the explosives the best she could, but Itachi could see that her left arm was burnt.

Naruto glanced away from his own battle, his eyes wide in horror. "Sakura!" he yelled as more explosives landed around Sakura. "Damn it! Stay away from her!"

When the clone took advantage of Naruto distraction and attacked, Itachi was not surprised. After all, that was something he would do.

Then out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi saw Deidara moving through the trees to get closer to Sakura. Wearing a determined look, the blonde was shaping something in both palms, telling Itachi that their cover was about to be blown.

Yet, he made no move to stop Deidara. And considering the identity of Sakura's opponent, it was best to allow Deidara to handle it.

All of a sudden, his senses tingled in recognition, and Itachi stiffened immediately. Madara was finally here, and from what he could tell, the older Uchiha was moving fast into Konoha. The Akatsuki clones were distracting the Leaf forces, allowing him to walk in unhindered.

Not for long, Itachi thought grimly.

He eyed the scene before him. Naruto was still locked in battle with his clone. From what he could see, it was a matter of time before Naruto won. After all, this clone's chakra was not unlimited.

Stealthily, he began to move away from the scene of battle.

* * *

This was bad, Naruto thought anxiously even as he evaded the clone Itachi's fireballs. Sakura was in trouble and he could not get away from this clone.

"Sakura!" he yelled out again.

There was no way he would leave her to face that crazy bastard alone. Once again, he made an attempt to leave Itachi's clone to go to her when a kunai sped past his ear, diverting his attention back to his own battle. Damn it! Sakura was in trouble and he could not help her.

"I am your opponent, Naruto-kun," the clone Itachi intoned blandly.

Naruto glared at the clone Uchiha's feet, knowing that he could not look anywhere else. He would just have to try to finish Itachi off quickly, otherwise he would not be able to help Sakura. Or at least, distract him long enough to escape.

Lifting his hands up, he called out, "_Kagebunshin-no-jutsu!"_

His clones popped out around him. And at once, they all charged forward towards Itachi's clone. A series of popping sounds could be heard as the clone calmly destroyed the bunshins one after another. It occurred to Naruto then that this technique was pretty useless against someone like Itachi, even if it was a clone instead of the real thing.

But it provides enough distraction to allow him to go to Sakura.

Turning around, he was about to rush towards his pink-haired friend when the sight before him stopped him in his tracks. His eyes bugged when he saw another shinobi intercepting the clay explosive with another one. This Deidara was identical to the clone Sakura was fighting against. Only this one was not wearing the Akatsuki cloak. Instead, he was dressed in the typical shinobi mesh shirt and dark pants.

"I knew you can't handle me, yeah, Sakura!" the newcomer remarked smugly.

"Deidara! What are you doing here?" Sakura gasped in surprise.

"What does it look like, hm?" he asked as he released two handfuls of winged explosives in the direction of his clones. "I can't let my clone kill you. If there's any killing to be done, I'll do it myself."

"Unbelievable," Sakura muttered, but the relief in her was obvious.

The sound of kunai slicing through the air reached Naruto just a fraction of a second before he dropped to the ground. Rolling back into a standing position, he spun around to face his attacker. The clone Itachi was coming at him again, having disposed of the rest of his bunshins.

Eyes narrowing in irritation, Naruto quickly created four bunshins. They immediately grouped together and in moments, broke apart with each pair holding a swirling blue orb.

"_Rasengan!"_ they cried out as they darted towards the clone.

Deciding to hide himself, Naruto used the attack as a cover while he disappeared into the trees. Sakura had help now, so that okay. He had to get a way for a minute, just long enough to come up with some sort of plan to defeat the Uchiha clone or this would never end. They had been fighting for almost three hours already and it did not look as if the clone was dying anytime soon.

Then he stopped abruptly at the sight of a dark-haired shinobi standing deeper in the forest. He was almost fully hidden in the shadows but there was no mistaking his identity.

"You!" Naruto exclaimed incredulously.

It could not be, right? What the hell was happening? He darted a brief glance at the clone fighting with his bunshin before returning his attention to what appeared to be the real Itachi. First it was Deidara and now Itachi? This was bizarre, but it looked like the real ones were on Konoha's side.

"I don't understand what's going on," he finally said. Gesturing in the direction of Sakura, even though she was now too far to be seen, Naruto continued, "The real Deidara is back there fighting his clone and you're here. I thought Akatsuki broke up."

"I'm not here as an Akatsuki."

Naruto's eyes slid down over his black top, and then swung the opposite direction to the clone covered in an Akatsuki cloak. "You're not in control of this clone, right?" He sounded uncertain.

Itachi shook his head once and Naruto thought he saw a flash of irritation in the Uchiha's crimson orbs.

"So, you're here for Madara?" Naruto prodded.

The Uchiha did not respond. Instead, he directed a pointed glance at some point beyond his shoulders. Wondering what had caught Itachi's attention, Naruto snuck a glance over his shoulders and immediately cursed.

The clone Itachi was gone.

"Damn it!" he hissed as he glanced around irritably. He looked away for less than a minute and that sneaky bastard was gone. "Where the hell is he?" Naruto muttered.

"He will attack from below," Itachi suddenly said.

Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief, but he heeded Itachi's words and launched himself up into the air. True enough, in the next second, the ground beneath him exploded upwards, revealing the clone surrounded by a circle of flame.

Small pieces of red-hot rubble hit his legs, but Naruto ignored it. Quickly, he twisted in the air to land a safe distance away. Only then did he flick a glance at the stoic Uchiha, the real one. He could hardly believe that Uchiha Itachi had voluntarily helped him back there.

But there was no time to think, for Itachi's clone was once again preparing for another attack.

Think, Naruto. Think, damn it! He could not afford to just fight without any plan. There was no way he could win otherwise. Yeah, that was what he thought five minutes ago but he still did not have anything resembling a working plan.

But wait! He was fighting the clone now, right? So the real Itachi would know how to defeat it.

Before he could form another thought, the clone streaked towards him, forcing him to flip backwards to avoid the kick. Needing to get the Uchiha clone away from him, Naruto formed a series of seals.

"_Fuuton: Atsugai!"_ he yelled.

The air grew heavy as the wind pressure picked up around them. Then, in one swift move, the wind sped forward towards the clone.

"_Amaterasu,"_ the clone intoned calmly, bringing up a barrier of dark fire which swallowed the wind as it hit the flames.

Naruto clenched his hands in frustration. "Damn it! Just die already!" Recalling what he was thinking earlier, he glanced over his shoulders at the real Itachi. "Oi! How the hell do I defeat him?"

"You can't."

His eyes bugged. "What?"

"The clone will run out of chakra soon," Itachi said quietly, and then he turned away.

"Hey! You're just going to walk away like this?" Naruto exclaimed incredulously.

Without turning back to face the blonde, Itachi continued to walk away.

"This is your battle, Naruto-kun."

* * *

Deidara interrupted just in time to save her neck.

Crouched on the ground, panting breathlessly, Sakura kept her eyes on the battle between the real Deidara and his clone. She had never seen anything like that before. Both of them were just as crazy, which resulted in mind-boggling displays of explosions.

Then she felt it. Even without turning, she knew that he was standing right behind her.

"Itachi," she murmured a greeting.

She felt the briefest of touch at the base of her spine. "Madara is here," he announced quietly.

Madara was here?! Spinning around to face him, she asked, "Where?"

He inclined his head in the direction of the training grounds. Then his eyes slid down her body, pausing at her wounds. She felt her cheeks reddening, and then she immediately chastised herself for her inappropriate thoughts.

"Heal yourself," he instructed levelly.

She grimaced. "I will."

As she began to place her glowing hands on her wounds, he turned around and left. Sakura closed her eyes, releasing a heavy sigh. She wanted to go with him, to make sure that he would be okay, but she realize just how stupid that very thought was. After all, Itachi was more than capable of taking care of himself.

Giving herself a mental shake, she finished healing herself and turned her attention back to the battle between Deidara and his clone.

Both of them were suspended in the air on identical clay birds now. Deidara was molding something in both his palms, his eyes not leaving his clone, who was also molding some form of explosive, no doubt. The maniacal glee on their face was a sight and if the situation was not so dire, she would have laughed out loud. Deidara looked as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

They launched their explosives simultaneously. Identical clay birds, Sakura noted worriedly. How was Deidara supposed to win if his clone did exactly the same things as he did? She watched as the clay birds collided mid-air and promptly blew up.

They traded a few more attacks, each attack growing more violent until the area around them was clouded with smoke and debris. And then Sakura's eyes widened when she spotted a figure on the ground. Further back in the forest, almost fully hidden, another Deidara crouched low, shrouded in the shadows. Her eyes snapped upwards, noting that another Deidara was fighting the clone. So, Deidara had created a bunshin at some point.

Which one was the real one?

Her unspoken question was answered when the high level Deidara swooped towards the clone in an apparently suicidal move. She held her breath, staring with a mix of anticipation and horror as Deidara got closer and closer to his clone.

Then the two birds collided.

A loud explosion cracked the air. Shattered tree trunks and torn leaves fluttered down amidst larger chunks of debris. Sakura waited for it to settle before she stepped out into the new clearing formed by the massive explosion.

She was unsurprised when a smirking Deidara walked up beside her. "Good thing Madara doesn't know about this new trick of mine, yeah."

"You being suicidal is hardly unexpected," she pointed out dryly.

He simply raised a brow at her. Eyeing the ground, Sakura took in the scattered remains of the unfortunate shinobi and bit back the urge to wince. There was definitely no way one could identify the shinobi now.

"I wonder if I'd go out in such a fantastic bang," Deidara remarked casually.

Sakura shot him an exasperated look. "Come. Let's see what the rest is up to."

She began to walk away, but to her surprise, she found Deidara lagging behind. Wondering what was keeping him, she glanced over her shoulders. He was just standing there, staring at her with an odd look on his face.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked impatiently.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Waiting for you to come to your senses, yeah."

She scowled at him. "What do you mean?"

"You've just invited me to walk into Konoha with you, yeah. Do you want me to hold your hand as well? Just in case your Konoha friends can't tell that we're not exactly enemies, hm?"

His words hit her hard, and Sakura blinked, momentarily stunned. Then she blanched. He was right, of course. What was she thinking, inviting him into Konoha like he was an ally or something? Come to think of it, was he not an ally? After all, he had just helped her defeat his clone. Surely his skills would come in useful when it came to fighting Madara. And who knew if Madara had other backup?

"But-"

"How much more naïve can you be, hm?" he interjected harshly. "Walking in together is a stupid idea. You go ahead with your Leaf stuff and I'll handle things on my own. The rest shouldn't give you as much problem as my clone."

"What do you mean, the rest?"

"Madara brought in some rogue shinobi as well." Deidara gestured towards the boundary walls. "They would be all over the place soon, yeah."

Sakura groaned out loud at the realization that this was going to be a very long battle.

* * *

Tsunade grimaced as she scanned the training grounds, tucking her hair behind her ear as she awaited the arrival of her opponent. The bastard had some nerve, invading Konoha like this. She had sensed his approach earlier, and assuming that he had found the kyuubi's new hiding place, he would have to cross this training ground to get there.

She sighed. Her shinobi forces were scattered around the boundary and yet, he had managed to get in. It suddenly occurred to her that perhaps it was time to review Konoha's defense strategy. The damned thing was probably designed decades ago and it was time to update it.

The back of her neck pricked suddenly, and she knew that Madara had arrived.

Standing unmoving on the grassy training ground, she stared at the shinobi who had just landed some distance in front of her. Like all Uchiha, the one before her had black hair and crimson eyes. And like all Uchiha, his bearing displayed his arrogance, his confidence that he would win this battle.

Tsunade smirked inwardly. She was not the Hokage for no reason. As the strongest shinobi in Konoha, it was fitting that she would be the one battling the founder of the Uchiha clan, not to mention she was the granddaughter of the Shodaime and the apprentice of the Sandaime. She was the one most suitable to destroy this threat to Konoha.

Her eyes never left Madara as he strode towards her. He only stopped when both of them could read each other's expression clearly.

"So, you're the Shodaime's legacy. I heard a lot about you. We finally meet," Madara greeted silkily.

"And you're that bastard who killed off the clan he built from scratch."

Madara shrugged carelessly. "You give me too much credit. I didn't decimate the clan all by myself."

Tsunade snorted. "What the hell do you think you're doing here, Madara?"

"Is that any way to speak to your elders?" he retorted evenly.

"I'll speak to you any damn way I like."

"You will not be so confident when you see Konoha crumble around you, Tsunade-hime."

"You and your measly Akatsuki clones?" Tsunade smirked. "Konoha can take much more than that."

"Oh? Do you think those clones are the only reinforcement I brought with me?"

Her eyes narrowed when she sensed the incoming intruders. There were quite a number of them, and from what she could tell from their chakra distribution, they were jounin-level shinobi. Rogue shinobi, no doubt. Her lips thinned in annoyance as she wondered how her Leaf forces were coping at the moment.

"By the time this is over, there would be no more Konoha." Madara paused briefly before he continued, "At least not the Konoha you and your weak predecessors know."

She had heard enough. The more time they spend arguing, the longer this was going to take. And as far as she was concerned, Madara had remained long enough in Konoha.

Directing her chakra downwards, she ground her heels into the hard soil underneath her feet. The earth instantly cracked, turning into a deep fissure racing towards Madara. The Uchiha stood his ground, a knowing smirk on his face even as he fell into the void underneath, disappearing from her sight.

Lips thinning, Tsunade eyed her surrounding. An invisible enemy was always worse than a visible one.

Without warning, she felt an explosion of chakra around her. Instinctively, she leapt into the air to avoid whatever it was that Madara intended to do to her. A quick glance downwards told her that she had managed to avoid injury just in time.

She landed a distance away, carefully observing the five identical Madaras walking towards her. Those were bunshins, but very powerful ones. So where was the real Madara? Without looking away from the five figures, she expanded her senses to locate him, but to no avail.

Annoyed, she drew her arm back, preparing to crush the ground beneath their feet, but before she could do so, two of them darted towards her. Tsunade's eyes widened when she took in the seals they were performing. One of them had just completed the seals for a fire jutsu while the other, a wind jutsu.

Before she could wrap her mind around the idea, spears of fire shot towards her, propelled by a strong gust of wind. Knowing that it was too strong and too fast to be blocked, she executed the seals for a basic earth jutsu. The ground opened beneath her and she dropped in, allowing the attack to sweep past over her head harmlessly.

Even before the attack subsided, she clasped her fingers together, executing a teleportation jutsu. In a light puff of smoke, she reappeared on the opposite side of her opponents.

"That's all you got?" she taunted as she prepared her next move.

"It's just the beginning, Tsunade-hime," the fire-jutsu bunshin remarked smugly.

Infusing chakra into her hand, she directed her fist into the ground. For a moment, nothing happened. And then, with no warning, the ground beneath the two bunshins closest to her exploded upwards. To her satisfaction, they were immediately wiped out.

"Not bad," one of the remaining bunshin drawled before stepping forward.

The bunshin performed a series of seals and Tsunade's lips tightened in recognition. Fire, wind and now water? Her eyes went beyond her current opponent, landing on the last two identical bunshins. Did it mean that the last two possessed control over lightning and earth? She gritted her teeth in annoyance, cursing the fact that Madara probably possessed control over every element in existence considering he was sustaining himself using the life-forces of so many different shinobi.

He completed the seals, releasing a pair of water dragons at her.

In defense, she punched a glowing fist into the ground, throwing up shattered rocks to intercept the attack. The water dragons crashed into the rocks, splattering into nothingness.

Before the rock fragments could fall back down to the ground, she drew back her arm. Her fist crackled with lightning, her main element. She punched the largest fragment of rock, infusing it with the elemental chakra and then sent it speeding forward towards the bunshin.

The sparking rock connected with the bunshin before he could move away, and lightning instantly wracked his body. In no time at all, the bunshin disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Three down, two more to go. She turned back to the remaining bunshins, only to find blades of wind spinning towards her. Gritting her teeth, she performed a substitution jutsu just in time to avoid being hit. She landed some distance away and immediately prepared to attack.

Before she could execute her move, the ground beneath her sucked at her legs, drawing her in, trapping her within the soil. Reaching out with her hands, she grasped at the sides of the hole as the ground around her continued to undulate, drawing her deeper. With a gasp, she suddenly realized that the wind attack was simply a diversion.

Footsteps drew her attention to the two bunshins coming towards her. She had to do something soon, or it would be too late. The one thing she could think off was something that would take up a substantial amount of her chakra. But this situation definitely called for it.

She focused her chakra, not only to her limbs this time, but throughout her whole body. Closing her eyes, she waited until she attained an adequate level of energy.

Then she released it.

The ground rumbled briefly and then the earth cracked, deep fissures propagating swiftly away from the hole she was buried in. As the earth around her loosened, fragments of rock shot upwards, some connecting with the two Madara bunshins.

It was only after the rock shower had settled that Tsunade finally pulled herself out of the hole.

The clones were gone, she thought with relief as she panted breathlessly. A searing pain in her left leg made her wince as she tried to straighten. Damn, the earth technique had injured something. She just hoped that her leg was not broken. Placing her glowing hand against her thigh, she injected healing chakra into her flesh.

A soft chuckle filtered to her.

She looked up to find the real Madara perusing her condescendingly.

"Like I said earlier… weak," Madara sneered.

"Weak?" Tsunade hissed in annoyance.

Smirking, he inclined his head at her and then spun around. Before she could say anything else, he was streaking across the empty streets of Konoha. She immediately gave chase. Breathing heavily as she ran after him, she glared at the Uchiha. At least the genin had managed to evacuate the villagers, otherwise who knew how many would have been killed?

"Hokage-sama!"

That single cry was quickly echoed by others. Tsunade darted a glance over her shoulder, grimacing when she saw an ANBU squad chasing after her.

"Stay back," Tsunade warned sternly, trying to ignore the shaky feeling in her limbs as she pushed her muscles to the limit. "There are more of them heading into Konoha. Secure the perimeter walls," she instructed.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

As they peeled away, she turned her attention back to her target. She had to stop Madara before he got to the kyuubi. Directing more chakra into her legs, she sped up, chasing after the Uchiha. She was getting too old for this, she thought wryly. So much for being the strongest shinobi in Konoha. Perhaps she should start seriously thinking about training up a successor.

If she lived through this.

Her spine straightened in determination. She had to destroy Madara, no matter what. It was unthinkable to allow him to run free with the kyuubi's powers. If she could kill him outright, then that was what she would do. Otherwise, she would have to wait until he got into the Uchiha compound to bind him.

Pressing a hand to her wound on her thigh, she continued to run after the Uchiha even as she finished healing herself. She winced at as her flesh began to knit together but her steps did not falter until she turned the corner into another street.

Madara had stopped, and he was staring upwards. Halting abruptly, her eyes darted up at the shinobi standing on the concrete wall. She immediately stiffened in surprise.

"Uchiha Itachi," she hissed.

The younger Uchiha inclined his head slightly, but that was the only acknowledgement he graced her with. Then he jumped down onto the ground, blocking Madara's path.

What the hell was he doing here? How dare he walk into Konoha like he owned it? She wondered if she should order ANBU to apprehend him now. It did not matter if Sakura trusted the bastard. He was trespassing and should be apprehended.

"Ah, so you made it here before us, Itachi," Madara drawled, raising his hands in preparation to execute a jutsu. "On Konoha's side this time?"

The younger Uchiha moved just in time to avoid a glowing fireball heading his way. The attack connected with the concrete wall behind him, but Itachi was unperturbed. What was he up to?

"Get out of the way, Uchiha!" she snapped. "I'll deal with you later."

"You cannot defeat him on your own," he intoned levelly.

Tsunade bristled at the slight. "Oh, and you think you can? Who do you think I am, kid?"

Itachi's brows furrowed as he eyed her assessingly. "You have obviously passed on your ill manners as well as your monstrous strength to Sakura."

A vein on her forehead popped. The impertinent Uchiha brat was waiting to be taught a lesson. However, this was not the time or the place. Her main focus should be Madara. Later, when this was all over, she would crush him.

"Well, Itachi. Your presence is hardly unexpected," Madara remarked. "But I've prepared for this."

She interjected impatiently, "This is between you and I, Madara. I'm not planning on letting the brat interfere."

Madara smirked. "I agree."

Tsunade tensed when Madara's hands came up to perform a rapid series of seals. A scroll materialized out of thin air. Catching it, Madara flung it open and a cloud of smoke surrounded it.

When it cleared, Tsunade's eyes rounded.

* * *

Itachi's lips thinned as he swept his eyes over the slender figure stepping towards him. He should have expected Madara to use Sakura's chakra to form a clone as well. After all, the older Uchiha had used everyone else's to form his own private Akatsuki.

"I see you recognize your opponent, Itachi," Madara drawled mockingly. "Then again, that is hardly surprising."

"You're using Sakura's chakra for this?" the Hokage hissed indignantly.

Madara shrugged. "I don't see why not. I've been saving her up for this. After all, she is Itachi's greatest weakness."

The Hokage swung to him, her expression displaying stunned surprise. Madara's words could only mean one thing, and obviously, the Hokage had grasped the implication. It occurred to Itachi that although the Hokage's knowledge did not matter to him, it would cast suspicion on Sakura's loyalties.

"I have no such weakness," Itachi ground out.

"Then you won't have a problem fighting her, now, would you?" Madara mocked. He turned to the clone and then nodded. "Now… Sakura."

She sped towards him, and Itachi quickly substituted himself. When he reappeared close by, she was already prepared for him. A handful of shuriken headed his way, and he leapt onto the wall to avoid it. Without a pause, the clone sprung up after him.

They fought along the length of the concrete wall, running back and forth to avoid each other's attack. Sakura's clone had obviously inherited her original's skills but Itachi could also see a slight hint of Madara's chakra in the body. Displeased with the knowledge that Madara was controlling her clone to fight him, Itachi frowned.

Then his hands came up to form rapid seals for a fire jutsu.

"Katon: Goukakyuu-no-jutsu."

The fireball shot towards her, but she suddenly puffed out of sight. Irked, Itachi glanced around warily. The clone's techniques were slightly different from Sakura's, making it hard for him to predict what she might do.

A slight shift in the air was the only warning he received. The next thing he knew, the cold hard blade of a kunai was pressed against the side of his neck. He did not even sense her approach. It was unsettling. He could not help but wonder if this level of skill was actually what Sakura was capable of if she was as ruthless as Madara.

A soft body pressed against his side.

"What is wrong, Itachi?" she whispered, her breath warm against his cheek. "Why aren't you fighting back?"

His body warmed in an automatic reaction to her proximity, but when he realized his distraction, Itachi quickly threw her off. This was not real. She was not Sakura. It was simply Madara's doing.

Spinning around, he streaked away, intending to put some distance between them so that he could use his elemental techniques. She chased after him, and they exchanged blows. He managed to avoid each of her chakra-enhanced punches and kicks, while she managed to block each and every one of his. After a while, he launched himself away from her.

Standing a safe distance away, he eyed the clone stonily. He had not realized that it would be this difficult, fighting with Sakura's clone. His mind told him that this was not the real Sakura, and yet, something was delaying his reactions.

Perhaps this was what Madara meant by his weakness.

The very thought stung at him, making him grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Come on, Itachi… You don't want to do this, do you? You don't want to fight me," the clone said sweetly.

Her tone of voice left him cold. Sakura would never speak to him in such a manner. It reiterated once again that this opponent before him was not Sakura and therefore, he should not hesitate to kill her. He would not give Madara the satisfaction of seeing him fail.

The speed of his seals made his hands appear blurred.

"Katon: Hinokami-no-jutsu," he called out evenly.

A succession of molten fireballs exploded out of the ground, surrounding the clone. In a display of great agility, she managed to evade them, just as he had hoped she would do. Swiftly, he moved closer and closer to her, while the fireballs herded her towards him.

Then their eyes locked.

In a fraction of a second, he activated his Mangekyou.

She immediately froze.

He could feel her struggling, or rather, Madara struggling to free her from the Tsukuyomi. But it was futile, for something more substantial was required to break the jutsu. Something more powerful was required to break the illusions of the clone stabbing herself repeatedly until she was nothing but a mangled mess of flesh and blood.

An agonized scream tore through the air.

As he watched, the light in those emerald orbs gradually dimmed. He clenched his hands, willing himself not to reach out to her, because as similar as they looked, this was not Sakura. And yet, the sight of the dying kunoichi before him was proving to be more disturbing that he had anticipated.

She fell to her knees. By the time she slumped fully on the ground, her hair was no longer pink, but brown and her features were no longer familiar to him.

Satisfied that it was over, Itachi leapt down from the wall, backtracking back to the place he had last seen Madara. He scanned the area as he arrived, noting that he was far from alone. More of the Konoha shinobi was gravitating towards this battle. They were not the only ones, though. Madara's rogue shinobi were converging towards the Konoha shinobi as well.

"Hokage-sama!" one of the shinobi yelled out in concern.

"All of you, stand back and do not interfere," the Hokage ordered sternly. "Spread out and contain the rogue shinobi."

The Leaf forces obeyed instantly, disappearing from the area.

As Itachi watched, the blonde woman cut her thumb, performed a short series of seals and then slammed her palm down to the ground.

"Kuchiyose-no-jutsu!"

Almost immediately, a large slug appeared from nowhere, cracking the surrounding concrete walls as it emerged.

Madara laughed out loud. "Do you think such a technique would be enough to stop me?"

Tsunade glowered at the Uchiha.

"Let me show you what real power is," he said menacingly.

Features twisted in an expression of maniacal anticipation, Madara lifted his hands. The wind began to pick up as chakra crackled in the air around them. The nearby buildings and the walls around them cracked, and then shattered with the force, leaving a large clear space in the middle of the street.

It was unlike any technique Itachi had seen before.

A tall shape materialized from thin air. It was a shadowy shape at the beginning, nothing that was recognizable. Then, with increasing speed, the towering form solidified until it became opaque. Harsh indrawn breaths could be heard, echoing around the battleground as the creature became fully visible to everyone.

The creature's chakra gave away its makeup, not that everyone would be able to tell, Itachi thought. It stood as tall as the slug, but that was where the similarity ended.

Four heads protruded out of a misshapen green body covered with a turtle shell, supported on four clawed legs. Each of the heads was different from the next, and yet somewhat recognizable. The one to the left was elongated and earless, obviously a turtle. The one next to it was birdlike, with a sharp beak and piercing eyes. Beside it was a snake. The last one seemed half formed, and Itachi could not make out its features clearly, but it seemed feline.

Madara had obviously combined what he had absorbed of the bijuu from the statue to produce this creature. The half-formed bodies were understandable now, seeing that the statue had collapsed before Madara could absorb each bijuu fully. The turtle was the sanbi, the bird was the yonbi, the snake was the gobi and lastly, the feline one must be the nibi.

"What is the meaning of this, Madara?" the Hokage hissed.

He gestured with a flourish at the creature. "My creation. But I'm missing one crucial part."

"And you're sorely mistaken if you think you're getting your hands on the kyuubi."

"Once I defeat you, the kyuubi is mine," Madara declared.

Tsunade's expression hardened. "Katsuyu! Go!"

The slug wiggled forward, its movement strangely graceful for something so bulky.

Madara stood some distance behind his misshapen creation, his hands linked in a seal. He was controlling the creature's actions, Itachi surmised. Summons usually depleted a large amount of chakra, but what Madara was doing would take even more, as the creature was not acting on its own.

However, it was clear that Madara thought he would win with this creature.

The feline head stilled, its golden eyes pinned on the slug summon. Smoke drifted out of its nostrils and Itachi suddenly realized what it intended. A quick glance at the Hokage told him that she, too comprehended the creature's intentions.

Fireballs exploded out of the snarling mouth just as the slug summon stopped. Before the fiery attack could hit its mark, the slug spewed out a large wad of slime, intercepting the fireballs mid-air. The commotion drew the attention of the other heads and they swung towards the slug summon.

"Katsuyu! Retreat!" the Hokage ordered loudly, obviously coming to the conclusion that her summon would not stand a chance against all four.

The slug summon obeyed her instruction, moving back quickly just in time to avoid another blast of fire from the feline. The nature of the creature's attack confirmed its identity. It certainly fit the description of the nibi, the bijuu captured by Hidan and Kakuzu.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi saw an approaching figure. So, his clone was defeated at last.

"Tsunade-Baachan!" Naruto yelled.

The Hokage spun around, her features displaying her surprise and disapproval. "Stay back, Naruto!" she ordered sternly.

Completely ignoring his Hokage, Naruto continued to charge towards them. As Itachi watched curiously, the blonde slit his thumb and quickly executed the seals for summoning, pausing just in time to slam his hand onto the ground.

"Kuchiyose-no-jutsu!"

The ground rumbled loudly as dust clouded up the air, obscuring the shadowy form behind it. Then the dust cleared, revealing a large toad summon with Naruto balanced on its head. It was Gamabunta, Itachi noted with interest. If he recalled correctly, Gamabunta had been summoned many years ago when the fourth Hokage battled the kyuubi.

"Get off my head!" the toad summon roared.

"I need your help," Naruto pled.

Rumbling irritably, Gamabunta snapped at Naruto, "So what do you want, kid?"

"Look!" Naruto gestured at the four-headed creature.

The summon eyed the four-headed creature with disgust. "They get uglier and uglier each time I see them," Gamabunta remarked.

Madara raised an arrogant brow. "A slug and a toad. How pathetic."

"You won't think so once Gamabunta pounds you into dust!" Naruto yelled indignantly.

"We shall see, won't we?" Madara smirked.

"Naruto, are you ready?" the Hokage asked.

Naruto nodded. "Aa!"

The two of them directed their summons towards the creature, immediately catching the attention of three of the creature's heads. The sanbi turtle-head and the one next to him fixed their attention on Gamabunta, their eyes gleaming threateningly, while the third, the yonbi bird, attempted to attack the slug summon.

Wishing to end this fast, Itachi took a step closer to the creature. The unoccupied feline head tried to lurch in his direction, but was held back by the rest. Unperturbed, the feline head roared and opened its mouth.

A blast of fire shot out, heading straight towards him.

Without a pause, Itachi executed a series of seals. "Suiton: Suishouha."

A column of water shot out from the ground and suspended itself in mid-air. Satisfied with the volume, Itachi performed another quick seal. The column of water immediately responded, speeding forward directly at the blast of fire. The two attacks collided and the fire was extinguished. The excess water fell to the ground with a thundering crash, sweeping past everyone's feet.

Determined to destroy the creature, Itachi quickly followed on with another water technique.

"Suiton: Suigadan."

The water peeled away from the ground, quickly rising up into the air to form a number of spinning drills. At his soundless command, the drills rushed towards its target. The nibi noted its approach and roared its anger.

The attack connected, and the nibi reared back with a howl, knocking into its snake-headed neighbor.

When it jerked back, its mouth opened wide, releasing a stream of molten fire.

Not expecting it to retaliate so soon, Itachi raised his defenses too late. The attack connected, eating through his sleeves, searing into his upper arm. Taking a step back, he released a hiss of pain while a triumphant cry escaped the creature. Glancing downwards, he found that the flesh was all but gone, burnt away by the attack.

Knowing that there was no time to waste, he called forth the hachibi's healing chakra. It rose eagerly, rushing to his left arm. He felt his flesh healing, knitting together at an inhuman speed. His wounds closed completely just moments before the dripping wet nibi jerked towards him. Once again, the body it shared with the other three heads halted its movement.

The jutsu he performed this time was not one of his dominant ones, but it would suffice. When he completed the seals, a tingling feeling ran up his arms. Directing his hand towards the nibi, Itachi released the attack.

Bolts of lightning shot forward swiftly and immediately connected with the nibi's neck. A smirk crossed Itachi's lips when the creature cried out in anger. The nibi shook erratically as the lightning attack coursed through it, heading towards the shared body.

As if comprehending the danger, the snake head swung towards its howling neighbor, hissing in outrage.

Madara's eyes narrowed in anger. "It's not over yet, Itachi."

The older Uchiha executed a short series of seals, and the snake's jaw opened wide. The distracted nibi did not have a chance. In moments, sharp fangs clamped around the nibi's neck and with a violent twist, the nibi's head was severed from the body. It fell to the ground with a muffled thud, and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke while the other three heads roared in displeasure.

"Way to go, Itachi!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically.

"Naruto!" the Hokage chided disapprovingly as she cast a suspicious look at him. It was clear that the Hokage still harbored reservations about his presence.

When the cloud cleared, the bird-like bijuu turned back to the slug while the snake hissed at the giant toad summon.

"Go get the snake, Gamabunta!" Naruto yelled.

"Quiet, kid!" Gamabunta rumbled irritably just before he spat out stream of acid at the snake. Turning back to Naruto, he glowered. "You think this is the first time I'm fighting one of these?"

"Then why are they still alive?" Naruto demanded. "Itachi managed to kill one already!"

"Shut up! This is not some stupid competition!" Gamabunta shot back. "Besides, that one was weak."

The toad summon was right. Compared to the other three, the one he had just defeated was the least well-formed, and hence the least stable.

Turning back to the battle, Gamabunta opened his mouth, and a spray of what appeared to be flaming oil rushed towards the gobi. The hissing snake whipped its head around, and silvery scales rose from its body to form a barrier just before the oil attack came into contact with it. Grumbling beneath his breath, Gamabunta pulled out a sword and advanced.

Beside them, Katsuyu, the slug summon, was attacking the other two head with bullets of toxic slime. The bird was swift enough to evade the attacks, while the turtle retracted its head into its protective shell.

When the attack receded, the bird's eyes glowed yellow. In no time at all, an odd shaft of light sped towards the slug summon.

Noting the danger, Tsunade ordered, "Katsuyu! Divide!"

The slug summon immediately broke apart, dividing into many smaller slugs just as the golden light hit the ground where she once stood. It connected with a handful of small slugs, sending them puffing out of existence. Once the bird's attack ended, the slugs quickly remerged into one large body.

Itachi continued to watch as the battle between the summons and the bijuu carried on. Knowing that the summons would provide sufficient distraction, Itachi directed his attention towards Madara.

That was when he caught sight of a flash of pink.

* * *

Sakura's jaw dropped as she neared the battleground. The buildings around the area were torn off its foundations, as well as the walls around it, leaving behind a scene of complete destruction. What the hell happened here?

But that was not the only thing that stunned her. She could hardly believe her eyes when she saw Tsunade and Naruto fighting together with Itachi, of all people. The sight, however, gave her a new surge of hope, one which she did not care to examine too closely.

Her eyes darted to the misshapen creature in the middle of the space, and then at Madara. Comprehension dawned and her lips pressed into a thin line. She could not believe the bastard. Madara had absorbed parts of those bijuu and then used it to create this abomination. The guy was sick.

Tsunade and Naruto were using their summons, while Madara kept his three-headed creature fighting back viciously. Itachi lacked a summon, but she supposed the hachibi's healing powers allowed him to take a lot of damage from the creature.

As Sakura watched, Itachi streaked towards Madara, but the older Uchiha saw him coming. Almost immediately, the yonbi's head darted to the side, blocking Itachi's water projectile from reaching Madara. Unperturbed, Itachi performed the seals for a fire jutsu.

"Katon: Hinokami-no-jutsu!"

Molten fireball shot up from the ground around Madara, but the Uchiha simply smirked. The look on his face sent shivers up Sakura's spine and she could not help but wonder what he was up to. What was more astonishing was the fact that the fireballs appeared to simply pass through him harmlessly. How could he have managed it? She knew he used genjutsu, but he still had to move his real body fast to avoid the flaming balls.

"Now let me show you what else I can do," Madara spat as he performed a series of seals.

The fireballs around him halted abruptly, suspended in mid-air. Right before everyone's eyes, the fireballs began to increase in size, growing at an unbelievable rate. The burning brightness illuminated the night sky, casting shadows all around them. Worried, Sakura flicked a glance at Itachi, noting the grim expression on his face. This was not good.

With a harsh laugh, Madara flung his arms forward.

Sakura gasped as the giant fireballs flew towards the two summons. Both Tsunade and Naruto immediately noticed the oncoming danger.

"Katsuyu!"

"Shit! Move, Gamabunta!" Naruto shouted, thumping on Gamabunta's head.

Distracted by Madara's creatures, Katsuyu did not have enough time to block or counteract the fire attack. The fireballs connected with her and the slug summon immediately puffed out of existence.

Leaping back, Gamabunta managed to throw Naruto off his head, sending the blonde flying through the air. Before the attack could connect with the toad summon, a shimmering barrier of water suddenly appeared, catching the giant fireballs. Sakura's attention snapped to Tsunade, watching as her shishou strained to hold the jutsu. It was obvious that the fire jutsu was more powerful in this instance, which was hardly surprising, considering that water was not Tsunade's primary element.

A smirking Madara stepped forward. "Let it go, Tsunade-hime. Let the fire spread and devour the village."

Tsunade glared at him, but the barrier holding the attack at bay wobbled precariously. Sakura bit her lips as she scanned the rest of the buildings in Konoha. She needed to do something to help. If the giant fireballs hit, the whole village would go up in flames.

Before she could think of anything, Madara's creature suddenly reared back and charged towards Tsunade. With a shrieking cry, it crashed hard into the barrier, the force throwing Tsunade back. She landed hard, and then remained ominously still.

"Tsunade-baachan!" Naruto yelled frantically, scrambling to his feet to run towards them.

"Shishou!"

The water barrier immediately dispersed, releasing the fireballs.

"This is going to hurt like hell," Gamabunta growled darkly as he stepped in the path of the two remaining giant fireballs.

He opened his mouth wide, instantly capturing the fireballs in the gaping maw. His body shook with the agony of containing the flames.

Then the toad summon disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Bastard! You'll pay for this!" Naruto shouted angrily at Madara, his entire body shaking. "Kagebunshin-no-jutsu!"

Four bunshin popped up around him, and immediately gathered together. Sakura could not see what they were doing, but the level of power she felt was definitely higher than the usual Rasengan. The only other thing she knew about was…

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath.

"Naruto! Don't do it!" she screamed, fear for her friend's safety clenching her heart.

The group of Naruto bunshin broke apart, revealing the one in the middle who was holding a large, shuriken-shaped Rasengan. But Sakura knew that this attack was far more powerful than the usual one, for it was formed using Naruto's wind element as well.

"Rasen-Shuriken!" Naruto yelled, charging at creature.

The attack connected with the creature's body and the resultant force threw Naruto back, sending him flying through the air before he hit the ground some distance away. However, the damage was done. Trapped in the vortex of wind chakra blades, the creature howled in pain and outrage.

"NO!" Madara snarled as he took a step towards his creation.

Before he could reach, a cracking sound rent the air as the creature exploded into tiny fragments, sending colorful flares of chakra shooting around it and up high into the dark sky. Being the closest in proximity, Madara and Itachi were thrown back by the force of the flares.

Acting in reflex, Sakura flattened herself onto the ground, her heart still thudding wildly. She wanted to see if the rest were okay, but she did not dare to move. The flares continued to rage on above and around her, and she kept still until it finally subsided.

The silence was deafening.

Dropping her hands to the ground, Sakura lifted her head and glanced around. The sight of the four bodies scattered around sent a chill up her spine.

"Itachi…" she whispered shakily as she straightened to her feet.

He could not have heard her in that distance, but she saw him shift, sitting up. When he placed his hand on the seal on his arm, she detected the hachibi's chakra. She immediately exhaled in relief, knowing that he would live.

So did Madara, it seemed, she noted with narrowed eyes as Madara shifted. His mesh top was burnt off his body, revealing the charred skin underneath. He must be in great pain and yet, he was moving.

But what about the other two?

"Shishou!" she called out, jogging towards them. "Naruto!"

She reached Naruto first, but stilled when she heard a foreign voice.

"Uchiha-sama!"

Her eyes widened at the sight of the six rogue shinobi running towards them. Body stiffening into a battle stance, she could not help but wonder if she stood a chance against all of them if they chose to attack.

"Get over here," Madara rasped as he pushed himself upright.

His rogue shinobi obeyed. Just as they reached him, Madara pinned his eyes on them. Caught in his Sharingan, they stood frozen, staring at him in shock. Reaching his hands out, fingers splayed, Madara released his chakra in some sort of unknown jutsu.

Sakura gasped, her eyes wide open in fascinated horror as she watched Madara. Head thrown back, his entire body strained as he sucked in the life-forces of the six rogue shinobi around him. The wounds on his body healed, revealing freshly grown flesh and skin.

It was not long before the lifeless bodies fall to the ground accompanied by the sound of sickening thuds.

Then a pair of malevolent crimson eyes locked on her.

Sakura resisted the urge to flinch as she stared back. Then, inclining his head mockingly, Madara executed a teleportation jutsu and puffed out of sight. Another puff sounded some distance behind her, telling her that Itachi, too, had utilized a teleportation jutsu.

For a moment, she simply stood rooted to the spot, uncertain what she should do.

She inhaled a deep breath. Think, Sakura, think. The creature was defeated, but what about Tsunade and Naruto? Itachi had gone off after Madara without a pause. She was confident that he could handle himself against the older Uchiha, so she did not need to rush after him. Tsunade and Naruto, however, needed medical attention.

"Naruto! Shishou!" she called out anxiously as she made her way towards them.

Reaching Naruto first, she knelt down. "Naruto?"

The blonde grimaced as he tried to sit up. "I'm fine, Sakura. Where's Baa-chan?"

Sakura's eyes went to the still form some distance away. Standing up, she said, "I'll come back to check on you in a while."

"Don't worry about me. You know I heal fast."

Not really convinced, but knowing that she should see to Tsunade, Sakura nodded. Then quickly, she dashed to the other side of the street and crouched down beside the groaning body.

"Shishou? Are you okay?" she asked anxiously as she helped the older woman sit up.

"Don't fuss, Sakura! Naruto and I will both survive," Tsunade snapped, her chest heaving with the effort to catch her breath. Reaching into the folds of her clothes, she withdrew a scroll. "Take this."

Sakura frowned as she took it. "What is this?"

"I taught you a binding technique a few years ago. Do you remember it?"

Her eyes widened in comprehension. "Oh."

"Madara is heading to the Uchiha compound. Bind him into the scroll when he's in there. He's weaker now, even with those new lives."

It could not be that easy. "But I don't have the energy required-"

"Use the crystal when he gets to the kyuubi."

Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion. What crystal?

"NOW, Sakura! You'll understand later. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Sakura shot to her feet. There was no point arguing when she took that tone. With a last, worried glance at Tsunade, she spun around and ran towards the Uchiha compound. It did not take long for her to catch up with them outside the boundary walls.

They were already fighting. It was obvious that Itachi was trying to stop Madara from going into the compound, most likely because of what she told him about the wards. She continued to watch them, seeking an opportunity to assist Itachi.

Madara and Itachi flew apart as their attacks clashed with each other. The moment their feet touched the ground, Madara spun around, darting towards the Uchiha gates.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. No, she would not let him get anywhere close to the kyuubi.

"Shannaro!" she yelled as her fist hit the ground, instantly creating a large fissure to stop Madara in his tracks.

Turning around, Madara smirked at her. "Came to assist Itachi, no doubt."

Sakura glowered at him.

"Stay on my left, Sakura," Itachi intoned quietly.

She flicked a brief glance towards him, and then nodded firmly in agreement. It was best to let him lead this battle. After all, they were fighting an Uchiha. But when he began a familiar series of seals, she could not help but wonder what he was up to.

"Kagebunshin-no-jutsu."

Three bunshins appeared, and all three charged towards Madara in a manner reminiscent of Naruto. She shot a questioning look

"You take me too lightly, Itachi," Madara sneered as he quickly destroyed the first bunshin while another two closed in.

Itachi smirked as his hands came together again. "Bunshin Daibakuha."

Madara's eyes widened briefly just before the two clones next to him exploded. Sakura's eyes widened. Did it work? It could not be that easy but one could not tell with these things.

When the dust cleared, her heart sank at the sight of Madara standing a few feet away. He had managed to avoid being blown up after all.

"Sakura. Your wind jutsu," Itachi suddenly said.

She nodded. This was going to take a lot out of her, but hopefully, it would cause Madara some damage. Executing the seals, she called out, "Fuuton: Kaze-no-Gosunkugi!"

As always, the wind swirled around her greedily, dragging bits of sand and soil up with it. She controlled it, making it gather more momentum until it reached a point where it strained to break free.

Then she released it.

Pulses of wind containing spikes reinforced with sharp sand sped directly towards Madara. To her surprise, Itachi followed on with a fire jutsu, allowing the force of her wind jutsu to propel it forward at a greater speed.

Madara leapt up in the air, avoiding the first wave of wind and fire. The second pulse followed on swiftly, catching the Uchiha just as he was about to land. Much to Sakura's frustration, the attack seemed to pass through him harmlessly.

The final pulse of the attack, however, met its target. Madara's form flickered as he hissed in outrage. When his body solidified, Sakura saw to her satisfaction that the attack had injured his left side. Blood was dripping down the arm, but he stalked forward as if he did not feel it.

"It's a shame that the two of you insist on opposing me," Madara bit out. "We could have made a formidable team."

"You must be out of your mind if you think I'm willing to work with you," Sakura shot back.

Madara laughed. "Out of my mind?" Hands quickly performing a series of seals, his eyes narrowed. "Hardly."

Then he moved.

She saw a flash of him on the left side, then right, and right again. Where was he now? He was flickering in and out of sight so fast that she could not track his movements. She could only see blurs of his form.

All of a sudden, he was right in front of her. She inhaled sharply just before Madara drove his fist into her stomach.

She doubled over, breath knocked out of her. Before she could regain her composure, he delivered a kick, sending her flying away from him. She crashed to a stop at the boundary wall of the Uchiha compound.

Ignoring the pain wracking through her body, she quickly stood up. Madara was focusing on Itachi now.

"Sakura!"

Glancing over her shoulders, she saw Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji running towards them. Behind them were three ANBU operatives.

"Don't come closer!" she warned as she slipped away, leaving Itachi alone to battle Madara.

Ino skidded to a halt. "Why? It'll be faster if we all work together."

Sakura shook her head. "You might get caught in the crossfire."

When it looked as if Ino was about to protest, Shikamaru held her back. "Sakura is used to working with him. She is familiar with his techniques and his moves. We're not. It is best that we leave it to them."

Casting Shikamaru a grateful nod, she asked, "Where's everyone else?"

"They are dealing with Madara's rogue shinobi." After a thoughtful pause, Shikamaru added, "Hoshigaki Kisame and Deidara are dealing with the remaining Akatsuki clones. The last I saw, there were only Zetsu's clone and Pein's clone left."

Sakura blinked. She could hardly believe that she would hear Shikamaru talk about Kisame and Deidara in such a casual manner, like it was normal for them to be fighting on Konoha's side.

As if he understood her shock, Shikamaru shrugged carelessly as he slid his hands into his pockets. "I know they're missing-nins and all. But it looks like we're on the same side for now, anyway. We'll deal with them when the threat of Madara is gone."

"I see," she muttered under her breath.

Did it mean that they intended to capture Itachi and the rest? It occurred to her that she should warn Itachi to leave as soon as the battle was over. But the moment the idea crossed her mind, she winced inwardly. Warning Itachi about such a thing was nothing short of betrayal of Konoha.

Shifting her gaze back to the battle, she saw Itachi and Madara engaged in a close-range battle. Their movements were so swift, merely indistinct blurs even to her enhanced eyes.

Turning to Shikamaru, she said, "I'm going back in."

He simply nodded.

Without a backward glance, Sakura darted back towards the two Uchihas. Madara flung Itachi away from him, and the younger Uchiha crashed hard into a nearby tree. Before Itachi could get up, Madara extracted a handful of kunai, advancing towards him. She had to do something fast to stop him, something quick and simple.

Then she recalled something that she had not used for a long time. As she darted towards Itachi, she performed the necessary seals.

"Fubuki no Jutsu."

A blizzard of sakura blossoms rushed between them, blocking Madara from Itachi. Just as she reached Itachi, she quickly threw a kunai with an exploding tag into the storm of blossoms.

The hidden tags obscured by the blossoms detonated instantly, forcing Madara to retreat.

"Not something I've seen before from you," Itachi commented as he stood up, raising a brow.

"It's an old thing," she brushed it off.

The charred blossoms fluttered to the ground. Just as it was about to clear, she saw a dark shape streaking towards her. Not again, she thought irritably just moments before a hard fist connected with her, sending her flying through the air again.

She crashed through a concrete wall and then a wooden wall, crumpling painfully as she skidded to a halt. Breath knocked out of her, she could not breathe for a moment. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she forced out some medical chakra and promptly healed her broken ribs. Madara was inhumanly strong.

Ignoring the rest of her wounds, she stood up. Her eyes darted to the gaping hole in the wall and the wards came to mind. Would the damage affect the effectiveness of the wards? Better to make sure they were still working.

"Shikamaru!" she called out as she limped towards the hole. "The wards around the compound!" she called out.

"It's fine, Sakura," Shikamaru responded from beyond the boundary wall. "Get back out here!"

She was about to do so when the fine hair at the back of his neck stood on its ends.

"Sakura."

Her eyes widened at the sound of the silky voice. Only then did she realize that she was standing in a familiar living room.

Shit! This was not what she needed. Cautiously, she turned around to face the owner of the voice. Illuminated only by the lamps around the room, his eyes held a vengeful gleam, something which sent shivers up her spine. The last time she had seen him was two weeks ago, when she had just returned. He had been relatively calm then. But now, he was anything but calm.

She took a cautious step backwards. "Sasuke."

He stepped forward. "Not pleased to see me, Sakura?" he asked smoothly.

"I've got to go."

"I can't let you."

Just like that, they clashed with a flurry of flying fists. She had to hold back, not wanting to destroy the compound for she knew that the kyuubi was hidden somewhere within. But Sasuke had no such qualms. He was unbelievably strong, even without his chakra. But she had to get away. She could not afford such a delay.

"You think these chakra bands are enough to stop me?" he hissed into her ear as he twisted her arms behind her.

She frowned. "This is not the time, Sasuke. You can take revenge on me later," she shot back, spinning out of his grasp.

She saw a flash of indignance in his eyes, and then his leg swept out, catching her ankle. She stumbled slightly before flipping herself back up. Growing increasingly annoyed, she directed chakra into her feet and spun around to kick him. Just before she connected, he blocked her with the flat end of a blade.

A blade?

Dropping to a crouch, Sakura eyed the weapon warily. How could they leave such a weapon in here with Sasuke? Or was it deliberate?

"Take the bands off, Sakura," he demanded as he strode purposefully towards her.

"You can think again!" she snapped. She was not about to risk Sasuke at full power.

"In that case, let me show you what I'm capable of even without my chakra."

Before she could form another thought, he streaked towards her. She tried to move away, but to her horror, something snapped around one of her ankles. A quick glance downwards revealed an almost invisible wire.

The blade sliced through her arm and she bit back a yelp of pain.

"That is for sending me back here," he gritted out. "For interfering when you shouldn't."

Clutching her arm, she glared at him. "You bastard!"

Bringing forth her chakra, she broke the wires and jumped away. She had underestimated Sasuke and she had paid for her mistake. But she had no time for this now. She could still hear Madara and Itachi fighting outside, and she knew that Shikamaru and the rest were there.

"You won't make it out in one piece, Sasuke. The compound is surrounded by Shikamaru's team and ANBU," she pointed out.

"It is a minor inconvenience."

Her eyes narrowed. "What? You're planning to kill them to escape?"

Sasuke did not answer.

How dare he even think of killing those he grew up with? Deciding that she had been delayed longer than acceptable, she called forth her scalpel blades and charged forward. Holding back was no longer an option now. Sasuke would be very hurt after she was done with him, but at the moment, she could not bring herself to care.

Sasuke raised his katana to block her glowing hands, but the move was not unexpected. Twisting away before her hand connected with the blade, she swung to one side. Her hand came close to his arm just as his katana descended towards her.

Grabbing the hand holding the katana, she let loose a surge of chakra into him. Sasuke let out a choked cry as her chakra numbed his muscles, his katana clattering onto the wooden floor.

She was about to deal a knockout blow to his head when a hand clamped around her wrist. In a blink of an eye, a steely fist rammed into her stomach and she found herself speeding through the air out of the living room. Her flight was finally brought to a halt by the kitchen wall.

The crash knocked the breath out of her. Landing painfully on her side, Sakura gasped in pain. Medic or not, her body would not survive any more of this abuse. Then she glanced back in the direction of the living room.

And immediately froze at the sight of Madara.

He was standing over Sasuke, but it did not look as if he had any plans of harming the younger Uchiha. But if Madara was here, where was Itachi? She cast panicked eyes towards the hole in the wall, but saw nothing, not even Shikamaru and the rest. Had Madara succeeded in killing all of them? Her heart thumped wildly at the unwelcomed thought.

Maybe they were just occupied with something else. She could not bear to think of the alternative, especially considering her own condition. Wincing in pain, she realized that she had broken a bone in her leg. She should heal it, but her chakra supply was running dangerously low and she knew that she needed to conserve some.

"Sasuke-kun…" Madara drawled. "How pleasant… We finally meet. I'm Madara, the founder of the clan."

"Release me," Sasuke ground out.

"No…" Sakura choked out as she tried to scramble to her feet.

"How about this for a deal? I release you and you… assist… me in my task of retrieving the kyuubi?" Madara offered evenly, ignoring her.

Sasuke's expression turned contemplative. "I will be free after that?"

Sakura shook her head rapidly. This could not possibly be happening. If Sasuke turned against them, who knew what might happen? But did he not know that Madara was somewhat responsible for the demise of his clan? Or was he so intent on freedom that he no longer cared?

Madara smirked. "You will have untold power."

"I know where it is," Sasuke declared evenly. "I know where they hid the kyuubi."

She gasped out loud. It was impossible. Why would Tsunade tell Sasuke such important information? Unless, of course, Sasuke could sense it all by himself.

"I know where it is. After all, we are… connected." Madara's eyes gleamed as he gestured to Sasuke. "Come. I'll release your bonds."

"Don't, Sasuke!" Sakura protested as she pushed herself forward on her hands and knees. "He's just using you!"

Ignoring her, Sasuke went up to Madara and held his hands out. "Remove the bands."

"First, let's secure the area, shall we? I noticed that there are a few helpful wards planted around the compound."

Sakura stilled. What did he mean by that? Helpful?

Madara's brows furrowed in concentration as he performed an unfamiliar jutsu. The air suddenly pulsed, and Sakura stifled a gasp. When Madara's arms finally dropped to his side, he was smiling.

"Now, no one except those with Uchiha blood could come in to the Uchiha compound," he declared. "We still can't not get out, but when the kyuubi is under my control, it won't matter."

Without further ado, Madara placed his hands on Sasuke's wrists. In a mere second, the bands snapped, releasing the lock on Sasuke's chakra. A slow smile crept up upon Sasuke's features as his eyes gleamed.

Sakura gritted her teeth. This was not good. It would be harder to stop Madara now that he had Sasuke by his side. She looked away from them, trying to find the rest of the Leaf forces, but the kitchen was facing the wrong way. Were they still alright? And where was Itachi? Could any of them get past what Madara had done to the wards?

She watched as Sasuke bent down to retrieve his katana. His right hand was hanging limp by his side, but he seemed just as comfortable holding the weapon in his left hand.

The light from the lamps glinted off the blade as he raised it.

Then Sasuke directed the tip of the blade towards Madara.

Sakura's lips parted in astonishment. What was Sasuke doing? Was he acting all along?

Unperturbed by the blade pointing at his throat, Madara laughed out loud. "So, this is how it is, huh?"

"It is as it should be," Sasuke hissed as he lunged forward.

The blade passed through Madara's neck, but Sakura knew that it was simply genjutsu. True enough, Madara was completely unharmed by the attack.

"Tsk… tsk… It's difficult to find a loyal assistant these days."

"Assistant? You, too, are responsible for the decimation of the clan!" Sasuke snarled viciously as he swung the katana down in a swift arc. "And you expect me to assist you?"

Madara laughed out loud as he twisted away from the attack. "So, this is how it is. A pity. I thought you'd be more ambitious than that."

"Ambitious?" Sasuke sneered. "Call it whatever you want. But you're dying today."

Madara stared at him derisively. "Then show me, boy. Show me how you plan to avenge the Uchiha clan," he taunted.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in determination as lightning chakra lighted up his katana.

* * *

Itachi's eyes snapped open to an unfamiliar face. Tensing, he jackknifed up into a sitting position, staring suspiciously at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed kunoichi.

"Watch it! You're nowhere near healed, you know!" the kunoichi complained grumpily, her hands retreating. "And I can't do more than this."

His eyes swept over her, noting the low level of her chakra. The reason became clear when he glanced around them, noting other recently-healed, semi-conscious shinobi nearby. They had obviously fought Madara after he lost consciousness and had failed to stop him from entering the Uchiha compound. Lips thinning in irritation, he straightened, getting to his feet.

Frowning in disapproval, the medic protested, "Hey, don't move."

"You need not concern yourself," he intoned evenly, raising his hand to his seal to release the hachibi's healing chakra. It welled up quickly as usual, flooding his body with healing powers. The kunoichi gasped in surprise, but he ignored her.

In moments, he was fully healed. Not wishing to waste any more time, he quickly pinpointed Madara's location. It was not hard to do so, for the flare of chakra from within the Uchiha compound was unmistakable. What surprised Itachi most, however, was that Sasuke was Madara's opponent.

Scanning the compound, he found Sakura in what used to be the kitchen. Her warning about the wards around the Uchiha compound came to him then, and he grimaced. He would find a way out when the time came. Besides, with the wards in place, Madara could not leave the compound either, which meant that he no longer needed to chase him all over Konoha.

Mind made up, Itachi strode towards the jagged opening in the wall, the opening Sakura had crashed through earlier. The fact that she was not fighting with Madara concerned him, for it implied that she was incapable of doing so. How injured was she?

"Wait! Where are you going?" the kunoichi asked.

Ignoring her, he continued through the hole into the wall and into the compound. He felt nothing different, but he could see many inscribed tags pasted along the wall. And if he guessed correctly, the wards were also buried underground around the perimeter. That was the standard ANBU procedure after all.

The murmur of voices behind him told him that the Leaf shinobi were awakening. Glancing over his shoulders, he saw the one called Shikamaru running towards him together with the blonde medic. Then to Itachi's surprise, both of them stopped abruptly, as if they have met an invisible wall.

Eyeing him suspiciously, Shikamaru asked, "What did you do?"

Itachi glanced around the perimeter, once again noticing the wards. "Perhaps the wards are faulty."

The blonde medic pointed at him accusingly. "But you got in!"

Shikamaru frowned thoughtfully. "Wait, maybe it has been tampered with. Allowing entry only to those with Uchiha blood."

"Madara's work, no doubt…" the blonde hissed.

A large shinobi joined them, rubbing the bruise on his forehead gingerly. "So, what now?" he asked.

Itachi watched as the rest of the Konoha shinobi gathered around them one by one, each looking battered but wearing similar expressions of determination.

"What the hell is going on here?" the one he recognized as Tenzou asked.

Turning his attention to Shikamaru, Itachi suggested evenly, "You should break down the wards."

The other shinobi's eyes flickered, and then he sighed. "Well, it looks like we might not have much of a choice."

Deciding that there was no point in lingering, Itachi turned from them and began to walk away. He soon came to the front of his old family home. Its familiarity jolted him briefly, but he shook the feeling off. This was not the appropriate time to mull over the past. Steeling himself, he stepped through the hole in the wall and found himself in the hallway between the kitchen and the living room.

To his right, in the living room, he could see the two figures fighting. Madara and Sasuke. And from what he could see, Sasuke seemed to be handling the weakened Madara quite well. How long it would last, however, was another matter.

Turning left, he strode to the kitchen, pausing when a familiar form came into view. She was huddled against the cupboards, her pale face giving away the pain she was feeling.

Her eyes widened when she saw him. "Itachi! What are you doing in here? I thought I told you-"

"I know," he interjected quietly.

As he continued to scan her form, he noticed the numerous wounds peppering her body. And from her awkward position, he guessed that she had broken some bones in her leg as well. She still had some chakra, but he doubted that it was enough to heal broken bones.

"But you won't be able to get out!" she exclaimed worriedly.

Her concern was pointless, for he was already within the boundary walls of the Uchiha compound. And yet, he felt somewhat gratified by it. But now, she needed to be healed and he knew that his seal still contained enough of the hachibi's chakra to do so. He had already taken the hachibi's chakra a few times today and he suspected that after this, there would be no more until the seal generated more.

"Keep still," he instructed as he crouched beside her.

Placing his hands on her wounds, he directed the hachibi's chakra into Sakura. She gasped softly, her eyes staring in wonder at his hands. She appeared fascinated by the sight of the chakra disappearing into her skin. The hachibi's chakra worked fast, instantly healing her wounds.

"Thank you, Itachi," she murmured quietly when he finished.

She tested her limbs gingerly, and then an expression of surprise crossed her face. Almost as if she could not believe it, she stood up slowly.

"It's amazing," she exclaimed, beaming up at him.

"Do not injure yourself again," he cautioned.

She nodded. "I'm not planning on it. And anyway, you're here with the hachibi's chakra, right?"

"The remaining amount left is insufficient to heal major injuries," he told her firmly.

Her eyes widened in comprehension. "You used up the last of it on me? Itachi…" she faltered.

Uncomfortable with the expression on her face, and the implication of his own actions, Itachi turned away from her, settling his eyes on the furious battle between Madara and Sasuke. His brows furrowed slightly at his brother's posture. It was clear that Sasuke was tiring and would certainly lose.

The more important question was, would Madara absorb Sasuke's life-force to prolong his own? For a moment, he considered allowing it to happen. And then it occurred to him that such a thing would simply prolong the battle. No, he would not allow Madara to absorb Sasuke.

"I have to bind him," Sakura suddenly said, breaking his train of thought.

Binding Madara? "You have the means to do so?" he asked.

She hesitated briefly. "I haven't tried binding a human. The energy and chakra required is enormous. But Tsunade said that it would work."

If chakra was the only thing she required, it would not be an issue. "I will assist you."

She shook her head. "It's not only the chakra. I'm not sure I can focus enough energy to do it. Tsunade said something about a crystal, but I didn't understand."

Crystal?

A cry of pain broke into his thoughts, and Itachi turned sharply towards the living room. Sasuke was crumpled against the wall, his entire body covered in blood. Madara's triumphant laughter rang out, grating on Itachi's nerves.

"Not so strong now, are you, boy?" he sneered down at Sasuke.

Hissing in anger, Sasuke tried to get up, but was too weak to do so. Shaking his head, Madara turned around to face them.

"Enjoying the show, Itachi?"

Itachi simply stared at the older Uchiha wordlessly.

"Enough of this nonsense. I have more important things to do," Madara declared as he strode out of the house.

Knowing that he was heading for the kyuubi, Itachi did not hesitate in following him. Once outside, he shot upwards, landing on the roof with Sakura close behind. Without pause, he streaked in the direction Madara had taken. He could hear the loud explosions of chakra outside the compound, but he ignored it. Vaguely, he noted that the horizon was glowing with the imminent approach of dawn. Had they been fighting all night already?

A gasp from his side drew his attention to Sakura. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the crowd of Konoha shinobi outside the Uchiha compound.

"What is going on out there?" she asked.

"They are attempting to break down the wards."

"Oh."

Turning away from her, he continued to track Madara until he reached a familiar house. Only then did he drop down to the ground. As Sakura landed beside him, Itachi looked around. If he recalled correctly, this was Shisui's home.

The intense presence of the kyuubi caught his attention then, and Itachi spun around to one of the rooms. Without a pause, he darted through the doorway and soon found himself in a study of sorts. Stacks of scrolls lined the walls and the single low table in the middle of the room.

Madara was standing over a silvery white jar at the end of the room.

A jar containing the kyuubi.

"Oh no…" Sakura whispered.

Glancing over his shoulders at them, Madara smirked. "You're too late."

The moment he grasped the jar in his hands, the air pulsed heavily with an odd chakra, bringing both him and Sakura to their knees. Madara had made contact with the trapped kyuubi.

Itachi scanned the room once, before he returned his attention to the jar. Focusing on the crystal pendant hanging off the rim of the jar, Itachi recalled what Sakura had said about the energy required for the binding. An idea occurred to him then.

"Sakura," he called out as he pushed himself up to his knees.

Crouched beside him, she only graced him with a quick questioning glance before turning her worried eyes to Madara. "This is bad," she whispered.

"Use the crystal to focus the chakra and energy. It has the effect of multiplying the strength," he suggested.

Her eyes widened in comprehension. "Oh! So that's what Shishou meant earlier." Then she turned back to the older Uchiha.

He watched as Madara held up the jar triumphantly. The morning sun glinted off the crystal pendant. They could wait no longer.

"Sakura. Now."

* * *

Itachi's words were urgent, jolting her into action.

With a nod, she took out the scroll Tsunade had given her earlier. Unrolling the scroll before he, she executed the seals required for the binding and watched as her chakra went straight to the crystal. The gem glowed brightly as it absorbed her chakra, multiplying it within and then allowed the enhanced chakra to shoot out at Madara.

Madara's eyes widened as the chakra beam connected with him. "What is the meaning of this?"

He tried to release the jar, but found himself unable to do so. Good, Sakura thought with no small amount of satisfaction as the meager remains of her chakra continued to pour out of her. Then anxiety niggled at her as she wondered how long it would take to bind the powerful shinobi.

Her eyes went to the scroll in front of her, and she directed her chakra accordingly. The crystal was responding well, as she could clearly see a line of golden chakra linking it with Madara and the scroll.

A growl of protest escaped Madara. Face twisted in concentration, Madara strained against the jutsu, resisting its effects. He was attempting to break free, but the jutsu was strong enough to hold him in place.

"You will regret this!" Madara shouted.

She ignored him. The jutsu was taking up all her concentration.

"You think it is enough, but it is not," he ground out as he continued to struggle.

Damn it! Why was he not going into the scroll? Her entire body was beginning to tremble with the effort of sustaining the jutsu. To her horror, Sakura realized that she was going to run out of chakra soon. She would lose control of the situation soon. And Madara would be free to take control of the kyuubi. If that happened, Konoha would definitely fall.

"Itachi, I can't…"

"Do not move."

She felt Itachi shift closer to her, but did not dare to take her eyes off Madara.

Then she felt it.

The infusion of chakra from Itachi was unmistakable. Darting a quick glance to the side, she saw Itachi performing the same jutsu as her, directing his chakra to the crystal. He had obviously copied it earlier. With his help, the glow of chakra linking all of them with the crystal and the scroll grew stronger, more powerful. Relief washed over her. She began to feel that they might have a chance now.

Madara snarled as his entire body shook. His crimson eyes landed on them, promising death and worse. He was still resisting it with everything he had, for Sakura still could not detect the telltale blue life-force coming out of Madara.

"Give it up!" Madara hissed. "Do you think it's so easy to bind me?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "You can't hold on for long."

In spite of her words, they remained locked in a stalemate, neither side buckling. Sweat dripping down from her forehead to her chin, Sakura gritted her teeth. She glanced to the side, noting the pinched look on Itachi's face, a sure sign that he, too, was finding this difficult.

How long more could they last like this?

A loud rumble sounded from outside, jolting Sakura from her thoughts.

"Stay still," Itachi ground out evenly, his eyes still pinned on Madara. "It is only your comrades."

Knowing that help was coming, she pressed her lips together and focused harder on the jutsu. The older Uchiha was shaking visibly now and she could see a faint strand of blue life-force escaping his body. They were finally breaking through his defenses, she thought with relief.

Then a wave of dizziness washed over her and Sakura lurched forward unsteadily. The signs were unmistakable. She was about to run dry of chakra. She had to warn Itachi.

"Itachi…" she began. "I'm running out…"

A pair of crimson eyes turned towards her, and she saw a flash of concern in them. It was gratifying, but she could not even find the energy to smile at him.

"Let go of the jutsu," he finally said.

She shook her head. From what she could tell, Itachi would not last long either. It was rather unfair, really, for Madara possessed the chakra of goodness knows how many shinobi within him, and hence, the equivalent willpower to resist their efforts.

"Sakura, release the jutsu," Itachi hissed urgently, frowning at her. "Now."

She smiled weakly. "A little bit more."

Loud voices reached her, but she was quickly losing focus. The room was blurring right before her. She gritted her teeth, trying hard not to lose consciousness. A little bit more, she kept telling herself.

"There they are!" she heard Ino exclaim.

"Isn't that Uchiha Itachi?"

A gasp sounded. "They're binding Madara!"

"Move out of the way! Get Nara here! NOW!"

Was that Tsunade's voice? Was her shishou safe after all? Someone must have healed her. What about Naruto? Was he okay? The voices were growing fuzzier, though. Sakura wanted to turn around to see what was going on, but she found herself unable to keep her eyes open.

"Hatake! Yamato!"

She felt several people coming up close by, and a strong hum of chakra immediately commenced. Through the fuzziness of her mind, she realized that they, too, were performing the binding jutsu. Shaking her head, she blinked back her bleariness and looked around. She managed to make out the forms of Tsunade, Shikamaru, Yamato and of all things… Kakashi. Wasn't he supposed to be in hospital still? Someone should stop him from fighting when he was not even healed yet, she thought vaguely. Standing further away were the other Leaf shinobi, all keeping a healthy distance away from Madara.

She scanned over the blur of faces. Where was Itachi? She could not see him anywhere. He was too weak right now to fight off Konoha if they chose to capture him. Did he manage get away in the commotion?

"Sakura!"

Cool hands clamped around her shoulders, pulling her away, breaking her away from the binding jutsu. Sakura gasped in protest, but was too weak to resist. She landed on her back, staring into Ino's worried face and her glistening blue eyes.

"You could have killed yourself!" her friend yelled as she urged a nearby medic to approach.

Without delay, the medic injected the familiar green healing chakra into her as Ino joined in. The looks on their faces were determined and Sakura felt truly grateful for their help.

"Madara…" she choked out.

"Don't worry about that. Tsunade-sama and the rest are binding him. You just relax."

"Thanks," Sakura sighed as their healing chakra ran through her.

"Don't do this again, you hear me?" Ino scolded, lifting her hands off.

She was about to answer when the commotion nearby caught her attention.

An agonized howl rent the air and Sakura shot up into a sitting position just in time to see Madara's blue life-force being sucked into the scroll. Still clutching the jar containing the kyuubi, his entire body jerked and right before everyone's eyes, his skin began to wrinkle. The once-plump flesh shriveled rapidly, as if the only thing which had kept it in shape was the stolen life-forces.

Then Madara's lifeless body fell to the ground with a final-sounding thud.

The jar containing the kyuubi rolled to a stop at the corner of the room.

For a long while, there was nothing but silence.

Madara was finally gone.

Sakura let out the breath she did not realize she had been holding, and then stood up shakily. Ino's healing had done enough to enable her to move, but she still felt so weak. Slowly, she walked towards the Hokage and the rest surrounding Madara's shrunken body. She stared down.

"It's over," she murmured.

Beside her, Kakashi lifted his hand to rub the back of his head. "Well. Not really."

She blinked at him as her apprehension grew. What did he mean by that?

He held up his hands in defense. "No. No. Don't worry. It's definitely not as bad as before."

Tsunade clucked her tongue, looking impatient. "We just have to destroy the scroll now." She glanced around the room before allowing her eyes to rest on the shinobi beside her. "Yamato!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Gesturing around towards the roomful of shinobi, Tsunade instructed, "Gather five ANBU with the most chakra left in them and meet back here in two hours. We'll eliminate the scroll then. The rest of you, spread out and bring the wounded to the hospital."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Talking about the wounded… "Where is Naruto?" Sakura asked quickly, recalling the last time she had seen her friend. He had been in a bad state then.

"Naruto is in the hospital," a quiet voice replied.

Sakura scanned the crowd of shinobi until she found Hinata. "Is he okay?" she asked.

The Hyuuga nodded. "He just needs to rest."

Sakura smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Say, this is probably not the best time to point this out," Kakashi began, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Tsunade shot him a questioning look. "What is it, Hatake?"

Kakashi turned sober. "Uchiha Itachi was here not so long ago. Where is he now?"

Everyone began to look around cautiously, but it was clear that Itachi was no longer there.

Sakura averted her eyes, hoping that no one had caught sight of just how relieved she was at Kakashi's question. Itachi had somehow gotten away, so he must be alright.

* * *

Madara was finally gone, bound to the scroll which Konoha would no doubt destroy permanently. Although he had not had the opportunity to deliver the final blow, Itachi decided that it was enough.

Leaning heavily against the outside wall of one of the Uchiha houses, he dragged in a long breath through clenched teeth, ignoring the throbbing pain coursing through his entire body. The Leaf forces had been so preoccupied with Madara's binding that they had not realized that he had slipped out soon after he broke off from the jutsu.

Typical, he thought. And yet, he was rather thankful, for he was not foolish enough to think that he could escape unscathed in his current condition if they chose to apprehend him.

Pushing off the wall, he walked along the empty streets within the Uchiha compound, fully intending to leave Konoha. Dim rays of sunlight were peeking through the horizon, and soon, escape would be impossible. He had to be out of the area before he lost the cover of darkness.

He felt a twinge of regret at the realization that he would not be able to see Sakura before he left. It could not be helped, for she was currently being smothered by her Leaf comrades.

Perhaps when things calmed down a little, he would pay her a visit. Itachi had to suppress a smile at the thought of her reaction when he did so. She would no doubt be shocked. Yes. That was what he would do. After all, the notion had entered his mind over the two weeks of separation, and had shown no signs of dissipating.

"Itachi."

Itachi stilled at the voice. Slowly, he turned around to face the familiar form of his brother, standing in the doorway of their family home. Sasuke was holding on to the door-frame, barely able to support himself in a standing position. He was certainly in no condition to fight.

"Sasuke," Itachi greeted evenly.

"You're walking out just like that?"

Itachi arched a brow. "You wish to stop me?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "This is not over, Itachi."

"Is it not?" Itachi drawled. Then he smirked. "For me, it is."

Sasuke glared at him wordlessly.

"Perhaps it is time you focus on your own life. Stop running after me."

Something flashed across Sasuke's eyes, and then it was gone before Itachi could discern what it was. Inclining his head at his little brother, Itachi spun around and walked away.

His journey out of the Konoha grounds was unhindered. As he passed through the village, he could not help but notice that many Leaf shinobi were scattered around the ground amongst the dead rogue shinobi. All around him, he could see the signs of the battles. It would take sometime for Konoha to repair itself, he mused.

It was not long before he jumped over the boundary walls, landing on the forest grounds at the other side. He immediately turned in the direction of the shadowy trees.

"Kisame. Deidara," he called out evenly.

A loud snort sounded just before Deidara revealed himself, walking out towards him with Kisame close behind. Itachi scanned their forms, noting that both had sustained substantial injuries. However, they could not afford to rest. They had to leave this area before Konoha decided to come after them.

"It's about time, yeah," the blonde remarked grumpily. "Thought you got yourself killed."

Kisame gave him an assessing look. "Never seen you so drained."

Itachi decided not to respond to that comment. "We'll leave now."

Deidara looked past him and then smirked. "Not yet, yeah." Waving, he called out, "Yo, Sakura!"

He should have expected this, Itachi thought, smiling inwardly. Slowly, he turned around until he saw her slender form standing on the boundary wall. The dawn light touched her, gracing her pink head with an odd glow.

"What the hell are you doing up there, kunoichi? Get down," Kisame growled.

He saw her smile at Kisame's words, and then she jumped off the wall. The wince she unsuccessfully tried to hide told Itachi that she was still far from healed. With careful steps, she walked until she reached them.

"Leaving already?" she asked.

"What? You want us to wait for your friends to capture us?" Deidara asked, raising a brow. "I'm not planning on spending the rest of my life in Konoha's holding cells."

She chuckled, shaking her head. Then her eyes ran over them worriedly. "All of you are wounded."

She stared down at her hands. It was clear what she was thinking. But before she could say anything, Kisame patted her shoulder awkwardly.

"We've survived worse, kunoichi." Smirking, he inclined his head towards Konoha. "Now be a good little Leaf and run back to your friends before they find you missing."

Sakura immediately bristled at his mocking tone.

"Unless, of course, you want to come with us," Kisame added.

A grinning Deidara nudged Kisame with his elbow. "Oi, Shark-Face. Maybe we should leave them two for a while, yeah."

Kisame bared his jagged teeth at the blonde. "Call me that again, and you'll lose that pretty face."

"Oh, yeah?" Deidara raised a brow. "How?" he challenged.

"One whole night of fighting was not enough for you two, was it?" Sakura asked dryly.

Deidara deflated visibly. "Come to think of it, I can't wait to find an inn, yeah. I need some sleep." He sighed heavily. "So, Sakura. This is it, then."

Sakura nodded. "You'll be okay?" she asked quietly.

"We don't need you to hold our hands, kunoichi," Kisame replied gruffly, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "You make sure you don't get yourself killed."

Her lips twitched. Reaching out, she hugged the Mist shinobi, completely ignoring his feeble protests. And when that was done, she turned to Deidara and did the same thing, much to the blonde's embarrassment.

Clearing his throat, Deidara said, "Kisame and I will go first, yeah."

"I will catch up shortly," Itachi told them.

Waving over his shoulders, Kisame took off followed by Deidara.

Finally alone, Itachi turned to the kunoichi. The farewell had affected her somewhat, for she looked somewhat sad.

"So, this is it…" she murmured softly, her eyes studying her sandals.

"Hm."

Emerald orbs snapped up. "Is that all you have to say?" she demanded irritably. "The next time I see you, I'll probably end up having to fight you."

"You are planning on being a hunter nin?" he asked, biting back his amusement at her obvious disgruntlement at the thought of fighting him.

She stared at him. After a short pause, she averted her gaze and sighed, shaking her head. "No. Probably not."

"Then we shouldn't have a problem."

Her brows drew together. "I suppose. Hard to have a problem in the future when this is likely to be the last time we see each other," she muttered irritably. "Tsunade will probably keep me working in the hospital for good after this. I doubt we'll meet again."

He doubted it. The Hokage would be foolish to ignore Sakura's skills as a field shinobi. And yet, if she remained in Konoha, it would make it easier for him to find her. He was planning to surprise her in the future. However, it might be prudent to confirm if she wanted to continue seeing him.

"Why do you say such a thing?" he asked.

Her eyes shot up. "Don't tease me, Itachi." Her tone was terse. "This is hard enough as it is without any teasing."

He gave her a firm look. "I'm not teasing."

Her mouth opened, and then shut again. Blinking in disbelief at him, she finally found her voice. "What do you mean?" she asked warily.

"This is not the last time we see each other," he elaborated.

The muscle beneath her left eye twitched as she digested his words. Then she crossed her arms over her chest and took a step back away from him. Eyeing him cautiously, she asked, "What are you talking about, Itachi? I'm back in Konoha now, and you know missing-nins and Konoha don't get along that well. Ignoring what happened in here today, of course. I don't see how we're going to continue seeing each other."

"Do you not wish to do so?"

Her frown deepened. "What?"

"Do you not wish to see me?" he clarified.

Frustration clouded her features and she threw her arms up in the air. "Of course I do! You, of all people, know exactly how I feel," she all but yelled.

"Perhaps you should keep your voice down," he suggested mildly.

"You can't say something like this to me and expect me to be calm." She inhaled deeply, and then shook her head. "Never mind. I'm going to forget I'd ever heard that."

In a fraction of a second, his hands were clamped around her arms, holding her close to him. He stared down at the pair of bewildered emerald orbs, silently willing her to accept the fact that he was not simply going to walk away from her without the intention to see her again. The vehemence of his own feelings astounded him, but he paid no mind to it.

"I-Itachi?"

He lowered his head, crushing her lips under his. She froze in shock, and then responded almost desperately to his caresses. When she finally relaxed in his hold, he broke their contact to stare down at her.

His tone was uncompromising when he said, "I will return."

She blinked up at him. Then slowly, lips trembling, she smiled at him. "You will."

It was not a question, but simply her way of telling him that she acknowledged his intent and had accepted it. The rush of relief he felt at her response told him that as far as she was concerned, he was far too involved. And yet, he did not mind.

The shaft of sunlight glancing off her smooth cheeks reminded him of the urgency of his situation. Squeezing her arms lightly, he released his hold and took a step back. She simply watched him with a wistful smile.

"It is time to leave."

She nodded slowly. "Take care."

"We will meet again." He paused briefly. "Soon."

Inclining his head at her, he spun around and launched himself into the forest.

* * *

Sakura stood there long after Itachi had disappeared from sight, a soft smile curving her lips.

She had not expected that.

She had not expected him to want to continue seeing her, especially considering the circumstances. Coming from someone like Itachi, it meant a lot. It meant that he cared enough for her to risk his freedom, because the only way he could see her was to sneak into Konoha, or approach her when she was outside on a mission. Either way, it was risky for him.

And yet, he wanted to continue seeing her.

A warm, fuzzy feeling welled up within her. If she had any doubts before, what she felt now for him would have erased it. She loved the guy, every inch of him. And it looked like he harbored some pretty strong feelings for her in return.

She glanced up into the sky. The sun had just appeared over the horizon. It was filled with hope for the new day, pretty much like what she was feeling right now. Filled with optimism for the future.

Optimism that her future would turn out just fine, now that she knew that she would see him again.

Soon.

* * *

A/N: That's it! The final chapter of the story. Hope you've enjoyed this. The epilogue is coming out in about 2 weeks. And as always, please review if you could. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	31. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: As always, thank you so much for your reviews! I'm glad you like the final chapter of The Contentious Heart. And now, I hope you'll enjoy the epilogue.

* * *

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – ****Epilogue**

More than six months had passed since the battle against Madara. The village of Konoha had since been restored to its original state, the damages from the furious battle all but erased physically. And yet, one could clearly note the repercussions of that particular event in the lives of the shinobi in the village.

The most evident was the Hokage's decision to appoint a successor. Barely a month had passed after the incident when Tsunade announced that she would spend the next two years training her successor in preparation to hand over the reins of Hokage-ship. Her choice did not come as a surprise to most, although there were a number of people who felt that she might be making a mistake.

Naruto, of course, was overjoyed by the decision. For days after the announcement, the blonde could hardly keep his grin off his face. His exuberance was expected, for it had always been his ambition to become a Hokage.

The exuberance, however, had soon faded once his apprenticeship with Tsunade commenced.

Curious onlookers who had initially crowded around the Hokage's office in those early days did not remain long, for the fear of their own safety. The verbal exchanges between the two volatile personalities were unforgettable to whomever that had the misfortune to listen to them. But the worst had to be the physical exchanges that usually followed.

None of that was unexpected, though. Not like his own predicament.

Kakashi sighed as he stared blankly at his latest volume of Icha Icha. Things had changed for him too. Before this mess, he had settled back in ANBU, carrying out missions with Naruto and Sai by his side. But now, thanks to his own stupidity in killing off Danzou, and the fact that Naruto now spent most of his time in the Hokage Tower, he had been put in charge of all the ANBU Root operatives with Sai as his unlikely assistant.

Someone had to, he supposed. After all, Danzou had kept a tight rein on them and without him around, the ANBU Root operatives were somewhat… lost.

Listlessly, Kakashi glanced over his books towards the thirty-odd blank-faced Root shinobi occupying the training grounds in front of him. His task was to instill some sort of humanity in them, including traits like loyalty and so on. A task that was growing increasingly impossible as the months crawled by, he thought as he straightened, lifting himself off the grass.

"Hatake-Taishou," a brisk voice called out.

Kakashi lifted his head slightly, gazing out of his one visible. The person who had called out was a tall purple-haired kunoichi.

"Permission to speak."

He waved his hands about, signaling her to proceed. Try as he might, he could not stop them from behaving like that. It was far too ingrained in their minds. Which made it even more astounding that Sai had turned out pretty normal after all those years of working with them. 'Normal' being relative, of course.

"When will we be assigned a mission?"

When he could see more humanity in them, Kakashi responded in his head. Outwardly, he plastered on a casual smile.

"Ah, funny you should ask. I was thinking about the same thing myself."

The kunoichi stared at him solemnly, expectantly. Kakashi sighed inwardly. If he had responded like that to Naruto or Sakura, they would have given him very skeptical looks. Ah, he actually missed those two.

Alas, kids had to grow up sometime. And it looked as if Naruto and Sakura had finally done so. Whilst Naruto was on his way to become the Rokudaime, Sakura was already one of the top medics in Konoha. At that thought, he glanced towards the hospital building in the distance. She had been working so hard that he barely saw her around Konoha. Idly, he wondered if it was 'that' time yet. Then, a quick mental calculation told him that yes, the time was approaching and she would receive a visitor soon.

He would simply have to turn a blind eye to it again. Sakura was all grown up and she should know what she was doing. Provided there was no risk to Konoha, he did not see the risk in allowing it to continue.

"Hatake-Taishou. Could you clarify that statement?"

Shifting his full attention to the kunoichi before him, Kakashi resigned himself to the fact that he had better make sure this crowd grew up fast. Because that was the only way he could get rid of them.

Then at least he would be left in peace.

* * *

"There you go, Kiba," Sakura said as she lifted her hands from the shinobi's bare shoulder. "Almost as good as new."

Winking at her before he pulled his vest back on, Kiba said, "Thanks, Sakura."

She waved a dismissive hand about. "It's my job."

Kiba grinned as he stood up, gathering the rest of his attire before he made for the door. "You've only been back half a year and we can already see the improvement in the services."

Sakura smiled. "If you say so."

Kiba was about to leave the examination room when he suddenly paused and turned around. To her surprise, he was wearing a contemplative look.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, frowning slightly as she took a step towards him.

"Are you okay, Sakura?"

Her eyes widened at the unexpected question. "What? Of course I am. What made you ask?"

He shrugged. "Thought you seem a little restless sometimes."

She forced out a laugh. "Now why would I be restless?"

Kiba stared at her for a moment, and then his lips twisted into a wry grin. "Must be my imagination then. Or rather, Akamaru's imagination. Forget I said anything."

With that, Kiba left the room. Only then did Sakura exhale loudly. Thinking over Kiba's words, she made her way across the room.

Kiba was right. She had been feeling restless for a while, but she thought she had hid it pretty well. The feeling had been bugging her for a while now. At first, she had assumed that it was simply because she had been away for so long, and it took time to reacclimatize to the daily routine of a medic-nin. But as the months flew by, the itch only intensified. Perhaps she was not really suited to be a hospital-based medic-nin.

She supposed she could have asked Tsunade to assign her to fieldwork. But she was reluctant to do so because fieldwork meant that she would be allocated a team, and a team meant greater difficulty for her to find time alone. And if she was not alone, Itachi could not approach her. It was dangerous enough as it was.

She gave herself a mental shake. No, she would not think about that now.

Standing at the window of the empty examination room, she stared out into the nearby training ground. Kakashi was there with his group of ex-Root operatives. Sakura felt her lips twitch as she eyed her ex-sensei. She bet that this was not exactly what Kakashi had anticipated when he had volunteered to take down Danzou. As fond as she was of her ex-sensei, she had to admit that he was not the best person around to train those ex-ANBU-Roots.

Shifting her gaze away from the training grounds, she scanned the street in front of the hospital, wondering absently if she should leave the examination room for a quick breath of fresh air.

Then she saw the familiar sight of Naruto's orange attire, and beside him, a darker figure. Sasuke could now walk freely around Konoha, but not beyond its walls. It had taken a while for him to capitulate, but Sasuke had finally accepted the deal offered to him three months ago. He had agreed to supply Konoha with fresh Uchiha blood in exchange for some freedom.

Much to her chagrin, Sasuke had propositioned her soon after his 'release'. Until now, the thought of it made her twitch. And not in a good way. Who did he think he was, coming up to him and without preamble, ask her to marry him? Did he think that she was so desperate for company that she would accept him?

His proposition had come as a shock to her, especially considering that they were not exactly that close. But she had finally deduced that he had done so only because she was the only female around his age who was on 'speaking terms' with him.

She had not needed any time to consider it. The answer was clear. First of all, she no longer harbored such feelings for him, and she had too much self-respect to think that she could be happy tying herself down to someone she did not love. And secondly, she knew exactly why Sasuke had approached her even though their relationship had been nothing but unpleasant ever since they fought back when she had still been an Akatsuki.

The reason was Itachi. Somehow or other, Sasuke must have sensed that she harbored feelings for his brother. She still recalled how he had accused her of consorting with Itachi when the discussion had gotten a little heated. So what if she was? It was not as if it was any of Sasuke's business.

So she had refused him.

Sasuke had not been pleased with her. But she was done trying to win his approval. Besides, there were other girls in Konoha, right? Surely there was at least one who would overlook his constant surliness. That was, if he bothered to even talk to them in the first place.

Banishing Sasuke from her thoughts, she turned in the direction of the tall gates separating the village from the surrounding forest, the corner of her lips tilting wistfully as she did so.

Almost two weeks had passed since the last time she saw Itachi and she could not help but wonder if she would see him again. So far, he had turned up in Konoha every fortnight, give or take a couple of days. Much as she enjoyed seeing him, with each of his visit, she grew increasingly concerned that he might get himself caught. In fact, she did not understand how he could have carried on in this manner for so long without being detected by the guards patrolling the grounds or the rest of the Leaf nins.

She rolled her eyes. What was she thinking about? He had managed to walk into Konoha five years ago without a problem, had he not? He had even managed to smuggle her out of Konoha in the middle of the night to see Kisame and Deidara on several occasions.

Sometimes, she wished she could be out there with them. But it was obviously not feasible. She was a Leaf kunoichi, not a missing-nin anymore, even though she still wore her slashed hitai-ate. She grinned at the recollection of just how bewildered everyone was when she told them that she preferred to wear her slashed hitai-ate rather than a new one. Memories, she had said.

They must think she was mad.

And sometime, she actually felt as if she was going mad. Working in the hospital for the last half a year had been such a massive change from her life as a missing-nin. Not that she did not enjoy it. But it tended to grow a little tedious after a while.

Yeah, Kiba was right.

She was restless.

* * *

The light from the burning fire cast shadowy shapes over the occupants of the discreet campsite. Sheltered by the dense foliage, the night air around them was still. There was no sign of life around them, bar the occasional hoots on an owl on the hunt.

"We're finally in Fire Country," Kisame announced needlessly, tossing another twig into the fire.

"Aa."

Itachi was fully aware of Kisame's and Deidara's questioning stares, but he did not look away from the small fire burning in front of him. Yes, they were in Fire Country. By now, he had stopped denying that he had deliberately picked the routes such that it brought them there every two weeks.

And yet, it was still not enough. He had thought that in time, the separation would become easier to handle. But he was wrong. The desire to see Sakura never abated.

"Oi, Uchiha, just go, yeah," Deidara called out.

Itachi slanted him an icy glance, but the blonde simply smirked at him. He watched as the blonde missing-nin folded his arms behind his head before he laid down on the grass to stare up into the dark sky. To all appearances, Deidara looked so relaxed that he might as well be asleep. But in the last six month, it had become apparent that despite this attitude of his, Deidara was a useful shinobi to have on one's side.

After spending more than a decade carrying out Akatsuki's orders, the last six months had been considerably different for them. They no longer worked for others, instead, they chose new missions for themselves for the purpose of funding themselves. It was rather liberating.

Subtly nudging his head towards the carriage some distance away, Kisame said, "We can handle the package on our own."

That Itachi had no doubt. After all, the mission was so simple that any one of them would have been able to do the job without too much trouble. Itachi glanced at the carriage, wondering if their client truly expected anyone to actually kidnap his daughter, or he was simply humoring the female.

As if on cue, the carriage door opened and out stepped a tall, thin woman. From what Itachi could tell, she was in her early-twenties.

"Hoshigaki-san!" she called out.

Deidara instantly sat up and smirked. "Oi, Kisame. You heard that? Your woman is calling for you."

Kisame bit back a curse. Glaring at her, he snapped, "What the hell do you want now?"

Completely unperturbed by his tone, she held out a small container. "I need water."

Eyes narrowing, Kisame hissed, "I brought you some just an hour ago."

She pouted. "But I finished it. Please, I need some more."

"Go get it yourself!"

"But it's too dark!" she whined.

Itachi was fairly certain that the girl had deliberately set out to annoy Kisame. After all, she had never spoken in that manner to him or Deidara. Somehow, she was fascinated by Kisame and clearly wished to rile the Mist shinobi whenever she could.

Deidara was grinning widely now. "Just go, yeah. Who knows, she might even invite you to share her carriage when you bring back her water."

With a growl of displeasure, Kisame shot to his feet. "Not my type. She's too skinny and too noisy."

Without another word, the blue-skinned nin went to snatch the container from her and proceeded to walk towards the nearby river. Wearing a self-satisfied look, the woman gave them a nod before she retreated back into her carriage.

Deidara laid back down on the grass. "You can go, you know."

"The mission is not over," Itachi pointed out blandly.

"Won't make a difference, yeah. You might as well spend an extra day with Sakura."

Itachi did not answer. But he was tempted to leave them to conclude the mission without him. He spent too little time with Sakura as it was, and one additional day would be welcomed. However, to leave now clearly displayed his… infatuation with the kunoichi.

And yet, did it matter? After all, Kisame and Deidara already knew about it. They could hardly miss the fact that he visited her every other week without fail. As annoying as it was to listen to Deidara's taunting remarks, Itachi had no intention of stopping. Those visits were important to him.

Sakura's smile flashed across his eyes, and a sharp longing jolted through him.

Perhaps Deidara was right.

Itachi stood up abruptly. Without looking at Deidara, for he knew that the blonde would be smirking smugly, Itachi picked up his plain black cloak and put it on. It would take him half a day to reach Konoha, which meant that he would arrive in the evening.

"I'll find you in three days," he announced, walking away from their campsite.

A chuckle sounded behind him. "No need for that. We'll deliver the woman when the sun comes up. After that, we'll head to Konoha. Make sure you bring Sakura out at dawn tomorrow. The usual place. We haven't seen her for a while."

Itachi glowered inwardly.

"Don't worry, we won't take up too much of your time with her, yeah. I'm sure Kisame would like to say a few words to her too," Deidara added.

"Hm."

With that, Itachi began his journey to Konoha.

* * *

It was almost four in the morning when Sakura finally made it home even though her shift had ended ten hours ago. The incoming emergency had required all the available staff, so she had stayed to help with the squad of injured ANBU. For a long while, things had been critical, but between her, Shizune and several other medics, they managed to stabilize their conditions.

Almost dead on her feet, she pushed open her front door wearily.

And then Sakura froze, instantly wide awake. She felt his familiar presence the moment she stepped into her apartment. She immediately pressed her glowing hand against a tag buried in the wall next to the door. A pulse of chakra surged through her apartment, telling her that her privacy was secured.

Only then did she call out. "Itachi?"

A shadowy figure moved near the window, pulling the curtains shut. Sakura reached out to switch on the light. She blinked against the sudden brightness until Itachi's familiar form came into focus. Right before her eyes, his crimson orbs turned onyx. And still, he said nothing and he did not move, simply allowing his eyes to run over her.

Glad so see him, she quickly closed the distance between them.

"I missed you," she declared, sliding her arms around him. Smiling against his chest, she continued, "I know it'd just been a little more than two weeks, but I still miss you."

His hand came up to caress the back of her neck as he nuzzled the top of her head in the most heartwarming gesture. "Hm."

Then to her surprise, he circled her arms with his hands and firmly set her away from him.

"Itachi?"

He was eyeing her clothes. Wondering what had caught his attention, she glanced down. She immediately grimaced when she saw the red blood staining her white uniform. A shower was definitely needed.

"It is not yours," Itachi murmured, giving her a questioning look.

She shook her head. "There was an emergency today. An ANBU squad got injured badly in a mission."

Itachi raised a brow. "They are so incompetent?"

Instantly riled, she pulled away from him and scowled. "They were ambushed, alright?" she bit out tightly.

"Careless, then."

"They got the wrong information."

"Inept."

She threw up her hands in annoyance and stalked towards her bedroom. "I'm not going to discuss this with you," she threw over her shoulder. She was tired, cranky and however much she missed him, she was simply not up to their usual verbal sparring.

Walking into her en-suite bathroom, she began to unbutton her blood-stained medic uniform, intent on cleaning the blood and the smell of the hospital off her. But before she could even reach the second button, Itachi was standing in the bathroom right in front of her.

She opened her mouth to tell him to wait outside, but her words died in her throat at the look on his face. Her breath hitched when his hands touched her top. His whole attention was fixed on her buttons as he steadily undid the fastenings one after another, as if there was nothing else more important to him.

Heat washed over her, replacing her irritation. "Itachi…"

"Let me."

She decided not to protest as he methodically removed her clothes. His expression remained impassive the entire time, seemingly unmoved by what he was doing. But Sakura knew him well enough to be certain that he was definitely straining to control himself. The heated look in his onyx orbs coupled with the way he was swallowing hard told her as much.

Once completely unclothed, he pushed her into the shower cubicle. She went without protest and turned the knob, welcoming the cascade of warm water over her. It felt good, and she allowed herself to relax.

Then she felt his touch on her waist.

"Stay still," he murmured as he joined her in the shower cubicle.

Giving in to him, Sakura sighed. She closed her eyes, letting the shower cascade over her.

Then, Itachi proceeded to wash all the tension out of her with his soapy hands.

* * *

Tsunade glanced away from the window. Lips thinning, she strode towards her desk and sat down. She did not know why she continued to stand there so long after she sensed the presence of the intruder. But as she had done many times before, she did not raise the alarm.

She poured sake into a saucer and then tossed the beverage down her throat. Placing the ceramic down with a clink, she glowered unseeingly at the paper on her desk.

The sheer arrogance of that brat grated on her nerves. Whilst it was true that he had aided Konoha in defeating Madara, it did not give him the right to do whatever he wished within its grounds. He was still responsible, albeit not fully, for the massacre of his clan, regardless of his actions six months ago. He was still a wanted S-class missing-nin.

A knock sounded on the door and Tsunade looked up. "What is it?"

The door opened and Kakashi stepped in. "Hokage-sama."

She raised a questioning brow.

Waving a sheet of paper in the air, Kakashi walked towards her and then placed said paper on her desk. "The progress report on Root."

Surprised that Kakashi had bothered to hand in a report at this early pre-dawn hour, Tsunade eyed him intently. "What did you do to them?"

His eye crinkled. "Just a little night exercise."

"Hm."

She picked the report up, glancing disinterestedly at the barely legible scrawl peppering the page. Attempting to read it was probably not worth the effort. She was fairly certain that that Kakashi's progress with those Root operatives could barely be called progress at this point, still.

Besides, there was another matter on her mind.

"Tell me I'm not the only one who had noticed it."

Kakashi blinked. "Eh?"

"The intruder."

Comprehension dawned. "Ah."

"Uchiha Itachi."

Kakashi nodded. "He's not making much effort to hide himself."

"So that Uchiha knows that we know, and he still has the nerve to walk through Konoha like he owns it," Tsunade muttered darkly.

"Hm."

"Considering that he's a wanted missing-nin, he sure is fearless."

"Hm."

"That's all you have to say, Hatake?"

He raised his visible brow. "You want me to apprehend him?" he asked innocently.

Tsunade let out an exasperated sigh before she shook her head. After a while, she finally murmured, "No. Sakura probably won't survive it, even if anyone manages to capture him in the first place."

"He's been visiting her every other week. Without fail," Kakashi mused.

"I know."

"For six months."

Her expression turned darker. "I can see that."

"It's somewhat worrying," Kakashi pointed out.

She shot him an irritated look. "Do you take me for an idiot, Hatake? Of course it is worrying!" After a short pause, she continued, "What's more worrying is that face Sakura puts on in between his visits."

"Hm."

Tsunade sighed. "It was that mission, wasn't it?"

"It is not unexpected."

She nodded. "The outside environment tends to do that to certain shinobi. Who knew that Sakura would be one of them?"

"And yet, she was the best choice for the mission at that time."

"Yes."

Frowning thoughtfully, Tsunade tapped a finger against her desk. Sakura might have thought that she was hiding it well, but the girl was clearly unsettled, even after half a year of being in Konoha. It was not only the lifestyle of a missing-nin that Sakura missed. Much as she disliked to think about it, Tsunade knew that Sakura had feelings for Uchiha Itachi and she missed him.

It was not as if Sakura was so restless that she was ineffective at her job. In fact, it was almost as if Sakura was trying to drown herself in work, judging from the number of cases she was handling.

Tsunade sighed. She had to do something about the situation. Besides, an idea had been prodding at her recently. But first, she needed to hear the truth from Sakura's own mouth. The girl had kept silent long enough. The tapping fingers stopped and she pinned her gaze on Kakashi.

"Summon Sakura."

"Uh, Hokage-sama…" Kakashi faltered, sounding uncertain.

She eyed him impatiently. "What is it now?"

"She's probably still with Uchiha Itachi at the moment." He paused, looking rather disturbed. "Not a good time to… interrupt them."

Tsunade's lips thinned in disapproval. "Hatake. Are you questioning orders?"

A single eye blinked once, and then Kakashi chuckled uncomfortably. "Fine. Fine. I'll… summon Sakura."

"Good. Go now."

With that, Kakashi backed away from her desk. Moments later, he disappeared with a puff of smoke.

* * *

"So? What happened next?"

They were resting on her bed, where he was holding her securely in his arms. He was telling her about the antics of their most recent charge, but the way she was gazing up at him brought forth other thoughts. Thoughts that warmed his blood. It seemed that he could not get enough of her.

"Itachi?" she prompted.

"She demanded that Kisame carried her until another carriage was found."

"How did he take it?" Sakura asked eagerly, her eyes shining.

"Kisame was not pleased."

She grinned. "I wish I could have seen that. It sounds bad, but I really couldn't imagine someone coming on to Kisame."

"Perhaps she finds it amusing."

"And Kisame can't say no to her?" she asked.

Itachi nodded, watching with amusement as she broke into hysterical laughter. He did not know when it had begun, these sessions of him telling her what he and the other two had gone through between their meetings. It was most unlike him to speak to someone else of his movements. However, the first time he had done so, her pleasure had been so genuine that he felt compelled to continue to exercise.

Her laughter soon subsided, and she sighed. "So, what's the next mission for the three of you?"

He searched her face, not missing the wistful tone in her voice. She was growing increasingly restless, remaining in Konoha the way she had been doing for the last half a year, and yet, she had told him sometime ago that she had declined field missions offered to her. Perhaps it reminded her too much of her days as an Akatsuki.

"Itachi?" she prompted.

Recalling her question, he replied, "It is within Fire Country."

Her eyes narrowed. "Itachi, you're not-"

"We will not come against Konoha," he interjected smoothly. "It is merely an escort mission. We will escort the woman back to Wave Country. There, we will commence a delivery mission."

She gave him a skeptical look. "You took on a delivery mission? It's not something you usually do."

"It is convenient."

She shook her head slowly in disbelief.

Glancing out of the window, he noted the slight glow in the horizon which signaled the approach of dawn. It was time. And if he got this out of the way, he could spend the next two nights with Sakura without interruption.

He stood up from the bed. "Come," he invited as he strode to the window.

A shuffle sounded behind him. "What do you mean? Where are we going?"

He inclined his head westwards out of the window. "Kisame and Deidara are waiting." That was what Deidara had said yesterday.

She brightened visibly at his proclamation. And then she sobered quickly. "You're leaving so soon?"

Her obvious disappointment amused him. "No," he responded.

Her relief was clear. "So how long are you staying this time?" she asked.

"Two more nights. Then we will escort the woman home."

Smiling widely, she walked up to join him next to the window. "So, what are you going to do these two nights?" she asked teasingly.

He raised a brow at her. "Perhaps I should join Kisame and Deidara at the inn."

Emerald eyes narrowed at him. "Don't you dare." After a short pause, she added, "Anyway, it's less risky for you to stay put instead of moving in and out of Konoha so much."

"Perhaps."

Concern clouded her features. "I mean it, Itachi. What if the guards see you?"

"They will not." This was not the first time she had voiced her concern, but each time she did so, it reiterated just how much she cared for him. Tapping her on her forehead, he added, "I will be careful."

She sighed. "I guess that's all I can ask." Turning to the window, she said, "So, they are out there, huh?"

He did not wish to leave now, but he knew that it was best to get the meeting over with. Gesturing towards a point in the distance, Itachi said, "That's where they are waiting."

She nodded. "Let's go."

He reactivated his Sharingan. Cloaked in darkness, they exited through her bedroom window. Once outside, they stealthily made their way across the empty streets of Konoha, deftly avoiding the chuunin sentries posted in various locations.

They were almost at the boundary wall when Itachi picked up the presence of another shinobi. Without breaking a single step, he focused on the presence, attempting to determine if there was a risk of them being discovered. The shinobi was headed in their direction, but he was still quite far away. And if Itachi was not mistaken, it was none other than the Copy-nin.

What did Hatake Kakashi want? The fact that he had sensed no danger from the other nin was not the only reason why he had not alerted Sakura to the Copy-nin's presence. This was not the first time Hatake was aware of his presence, but it was the first time he chose to approach. So Itachi was curious to see what the other shinobi would do.

Itachi continued to keep track of the Copy-nin's movement even after they scaled the tall boundary wall. Landing on the grassy ground on the other side of the wall, they straightened and sped into the forest until they reached a clearing. Kisame and Deidara were already there. Both of them were leaning against a large tree trunk, arms crossed over their chests.

Deidara was the first one to speak. "It's about time, yeah." He scowled. "What the hell took you so long, hm?"

Walking up to them, Sakura planted her hands on her hips and smirked. "Do you really want to know?"

Deidara gave her a disgusted look. "Forget I asked, yeah. I don't' need the details."

"Good." She ran her eyes over them. "So, I see you two managed to stay alive since the last time I saw you."

Kisame frowned at her. "What do you take us for, kunoichi?"

She grinned. "Who knows what you guys have been up to out there?"

Deidara snorted. "Missions, what else?"

She turned to the blonde. "So, I heard it's an escort mission. Not something I see you doing willingly." Her tone was teasing.

The look on Deidara's face clearly displayed his amusement. "It's an easy one, yeah. You should ask Kisame about it."

Her eyes gleaming, she prompted, "Kisame?"

"Just mind your own business, kunoichi," Kisame growled darkly.

"Sure you don't want to tell me?" she pressed, her smile widening. "I'd be glad to hand you some tips on women."

Deidara coughed as Kisame reddened. "I don't need you to tutor me about women, kunoichi," he snapped. "I know things that you haven't even learnt yet."

She raised a brow. "Oh, then maybe it's been so long that you're simply out of practice," she remarked innocently.

"Kunoichi…" Kisame growled.

As they continued to bicker, Itachi could feel the Copy-nin approaching faster and faster. He would soon be upon them. A quick glance towards Deidara told Itachi that the blonde had sensed the same thing, for he had tensed, but it was obvious that Kisame and Sakura were far too immersed in their conversation to sense anything.

"Sakura, Kisame," Itachi called out.

Both of them broke off and turned around.

"We have company, yeah," Deidara announced grimly.

* * *

Sakura spun around, automatically adopting a fight stance. Then her jaw dropped at the sight of the familiar shinobi appearing from the shadows. Oh, no. This was bad, she immediately thought.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted, his single visible eye creasing.

Sakura gulped. What was he doing here? Talk about being caught red-handed. What would Kakashi do now that he knew that she still kept in contact with these three?

"What are you doing here, hm?" Deidara snapped.

Kakashi raised a brow and then glanced around pointedly. "Last I checked, this is Leaf's territory."

Deidara simply crossed his arms over his chest. "And so?"

"Deidara," Itachi intoned quietly, warning him to be silent.

Worried, Sakura eyed them all cautiously. What would Kakashi do to them? Or perhaps she should ask what would they do to Kakashi? After all, there were three of them against Kakashi. She clenched her hands into fists as her panic rose. After all this time, would she be forced to choose sides? Who would she chose if that was the case?

"I say we get out of here," Kisame remarked casually. Then, turning to Kakashi, he bared his jagged teeth and swung Samehada forward. "Unless, of course, Copy-nin here wants to fight."

"We are not here to fight," Itachi declared calmly.

"Oh?" Sounding completely innocent, Kakashi continued, "So, why are you three here then?"

Kisame smirked. "Just taking a walk, Hatake."

"Really," Kakashi intoned flatly. "I find that difficult to believe. So let's try again. Why are you here?"

Sakura could not move even if she wanted to. Rooted to the spot, she continued to stare disbelievingly at the scene playing out before her. This would not end well at all, she thought. Although everyone seemed relatively calm now, there was no telling how long it would last. She had to think of something to defuse the situation. But before she could act on her thoughts, Deidara stepped towards her.

To her shock, cold metal touched her neck. She froze in reaction. "W-What? Dei-"

"Why, we're here to kidnap this little kunoichi, of course," Deidara proclaimed smugly. The kunai pressed harder against her skin. "After all, she has a number of useful skills, yeah."

Sakura gasped.

Kakashi tensed visibly.

"Release her," Itachi bit out tersely.

"What the hell are you doing, you idiot!"

With that, Kisame yanked him away from her, much to her relief. She jumped a fair distance away from the blonde, staring warily at him as she rubbed her neck. Deidara was completely unperturbed by the exchange. Instead, he was calmly twirling his kunai on the tip of his finger. Her eyes narrowed. Was he deliberately asking for a fight or something? The escort mission must be more boring that she had thought.

A familiar sound broke into her thoughts and she swung around to see Kakashi chuckling at them.

"What's so funny?" she ground out irritably. The whole situation was bizarre and confusing, not at all funny. So why was Kakashi laughing?

He shook his head as his chuckles subsided. "Nothing."

All of them stared at each other for a long while.

"The Hokage wants to see you, Sakura," Kakashi finally announced.

She blinked. Was this simply a ruse to get her out of the way? "Sensei…" she ventured uncertainly.

"Go now, Sakura," he instructed calmly, his eyes not leaving the three male shinobi. "You know she doesn't like to be kept waiting."

And yet, she hesitated to leave the four of them alone. She did not know who she was more worried about, Kakashi or the rest. And what was odd was the fact that Kakashi did not even bother asking what she was doing there. It must have been glaringly obvious that she had not been treating the three ex-Akatsuki as enemies. So why had Kakashi said nothing?

"Are you coming with me, sensei?" she asked.

He shook his head once, his attention still fixed on the other three. "Maybe later."

"Go," Itachi suddenly said.

Her eyes snapped towards him, but his expression betrayed nothing. In fact, he was not even looking at her. Him and the rest were having this weird staring contest with Kakashi. What the hell was wrong with them?

Suddenly, she felt irritated.

Glaring at them, she bit out, "Just do yourselves a favor and don't fight, okay."

None of them responded to her, so she simply turned around and walked away quickly, glowering all the time. The faster she went to Tsunade, the faster she could see what her shishou wanted and then get back here.

Before they killed each other.

She doubted that they would actually do something as stupid as that, but one could not tell.

Before long, she was standing outside Tsunade's office. Raising her hand, she rapped on the door. "It's me, shishou," she called out.

"Come in."

She pushed the door open. Tsunade looked up from her desk when she stepped into the office. As she closed the door behind her, her shishou's amber eyes remained fixed on her, unnerving her a little. Tsunade could not possibly know about what happened outside the gates, could she?

"Shishou," she greeted, walking up to the desk. "You summoned me?"

Tapping her fingers on the table, Tsunade stared at her assessingly. "Is there something I should know about, Sakura?"

"Huh?"

"Any visitors lately?"

Sakura forced herself not to wince. In as calm a voice as she could manage, she asked cautiously, "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Tsunade's lips thinned as she stood up. "Don't play dumb, Sakura. You've been seeing Uchiha Itachi," she bit out sternly, placing her palms flat against the desk as she leaned forward.

This time, Sakura did wince. So, her shishou knew after all. There was no point in denying it since her shishou clearly knew what was going on. So what did this mean for her? Would she be punished for consorting with the enemy? Would she be kicked out of Konoha for this aberration?

Would Tsunade ban her from ever seeing Itachi again? The idea of not seeing Itachi was unbearable.

"Answer me, Sakura!" the Hokage barked.

Sakura jumped slightly. This was it. The cat was out of the bag. There was no point in hiding anything any longer. Straightening, she stared her shishou straight in the eye.

"Yes, Shishou. I've been seeing Itachi," she admitted.

Tsunade did not even pause. "How long?" she asked.

"Six months."

"And do you think your actions are appropriate for a Leaf kunoichi? Consorting with an S-class missing-nin? An S-class LEAF missing-nin at that?" Tsunade asked, her voice growing louder and louder as she glared at her. "One would think that such a thing amounts to the betrayal of Konoha."

Sakura instantly stiffened, offended by the implication of those words. "I didn't betray Konoha," she defended quickly. "I know that according to the books, being involved with a missing-nin is not right." Her expression turned mutinous. "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I can't help feeling the way I do. And it's not something I can control. But what I can make sure of is that I would never betray Konoha to anyone."

"Even the Uchiha?"

Sakura shook her head. "My loyalty is to Konoha first."

Tsunade eyed her assessingly. "So, given a choice between running off with Itachi and remaining in Konoha, you would choose Konoha?"

Why was she asking so many questions? It was as if Tsunade was trying to prolong her torture. Sakura exhaled. "I've already made that choice six months ago, Hokage-sama. I chose Konoha. And here I am."

"And do you think it is the right choice?"

She nodded without hesitation. "I will never betray Konoha."

"So if I order you to cease these… meetings with Itachi, you will obey me?" Tsunade challenged.

A lump formed in her throat. Not to see Itachi again? Ever?

Sure it had been hard, hiding from everyone every two weeks, but each minute with Itachi was so precious that it had all been worth the effort. How would she deal with not seeing Itachi at all? How could she survive not talking to him, touching him… just BEING with him? But what was the alternative? Would she allow herself to be cast out of Konoha, separated from all she had known since she was born?

"Sakura. Answer me."

Years of training kicked in. She was a kunoichi and she had pledged her loyalty to Konoha. No matter how painful it was for herself, the answer was clear.

She met her shishou's gaze. "I will obey your instructions, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade's eyes flickered, and then she sat back down on her chair. A pause followed before she spoke again. "Will you be content to remain in Konoha if that was the case?"

Sakura exhaled loudly. Lying to Tsunade was not an option. "Shishou, I'll miss him. Even separated, I doubt I'll forget Itachi. He's… important to me. But whatever happens, I assure you that I will not do anything to jeopardize my missions or Konoha."

"Hm."

Tsunade continued to stare at her contemplatively. It was clear that something was on her mind. The question was, what was it? Swallowing hard, Sakura stared silently at her shishou, nervously awaiting her sentence.

"I need an informant."

Sakura frowned at the sudden turnaround in topic. "Shishou?"

As if she had not heard her, Tsunade leaned forward against the desk. "That brat Uzumaki will probably need it too, and preferably it's someone he can get along with." Resting her chin on her clasped hands, she continued thoughtfully, "So it might work."

Sakura was utterly confused now. One minute, her shishou was ripping her apart for seeing Itachi. And now, she was talking about Naruto. What the hell was going on?

"Shishou? I'm afraid I don't understand."

Tsunade finally looked at her. Then shaking her head, she made a dismissive gesture with her hands. "That will be all, Sakura. Go get Uzumaki for me. You can leave now."

Sakura's lips parted in astonishment. Leave? Tsunade was allowing her to leave after all that?

"What are you waiting for?" Tsunade snapped irritably. "Go!"

She quickly nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

* * *

Naruto frowned deeply as he exited Tsunade's office. Stepping out into the early morning sunlight, he paused and stretched, mulling over the discussion he had with Tsunade just a few minutes ago.

It had been an odd meeting. Tsunade had been crankier than usual, but after all these months, he was used to it. The topic of the meeting was not something new. They had been aware of the necessity of the mission for sometime now, even though they had not allocated anyone to the task.

He could not help but feel a little concerned about the entire situation. But as Tsunade had pointed out earlier, Sakura was the best person for the task. After all, it would not be as if it was something new to her. Still, the whole thing was much too sudden for him to absorb. Naruto sighed. Much as he liked the way things were moving along now, he knew that he had to put Konoha first.

And now he had to go tell Sakura. He just hoped that she would not take her annoyance out on him. Who knew how she would take the news.

Standing in the streets, Naruto glanced left and right, trying to spot the mop of pink hair. Not having any luck there, he ran across Konoha in search of Sakura.

Where was she?

Skidding to a halt beside Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto called out to Ayame. "Ayame! Have you seen Sakura?"

The girl looked up from the counter. "Sakura?" Then she inclined her head in the direction of the Konoha gates. "I think she went in that direction not long ago."

"Thanks, Ayame!"

With that, he dashed away. Soon, he was at the guard post.

"Kotetsu! Did Sakura come this way?"

The other shinobi gestured towards the outside. "She went out."

Naruto frowned. As far as he knew, she was not on a mission or anything like that. So why did she leave the compound? Going for a walk?

Shrugging inwardly, he progressed in the direction Kotetsu had indicated and began to track her. It was not long before he detected the presence of a number of shinobi in the clearing up ahead. A little puzzled, he continued at a more cautious pace until he reached it. Cloaking his presence, he peered through the gaps in the bushes to find out what was going on.

He froze at the sight which greeted him.

Itachi, Deidara and Kisame were standing in the clearing, facing a very still Kakashi. Standing between them was a scowling Sakura, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at Kakashi and the ex-Akatsuki in turn.

What the hell were those three doing here? Well, he would soon find out. He sped forward, and then leaped into the clearing next to the unmoving Kakashi.

Pasting a wide smile on his face, he greeted cheerfully, "Oi! What's going on here?"

Sakura flicked an irritated glance at him and he gulped in reaction. The dark look on her face did not bode well for them. Best not to antagonize her further, he thought as he shifted his attention to the ex-Akatsuki. To his surprise, Itachi was looking at him.

Recalling the Uchiha's role in the fight against Madara, Naruto inclined his head at him. "So, how are things going for you three now that Akatsuki is gone? All going well?"

Itachi raised a single brow. "Yes."

Beside him, Deidara snorted. "At least we don't answer to anyone now, yeah."

Kisame merely grunted.

Naruto gaze landed on Kakashi. "Sensei? Is everything okay?"

Kakashi's eye creased. "Of course. Everything is fine."

Finally losing the little patience he had, Naruto frowned. "Then why are you all standing like you're about to fight at any second?"

"I'm just making sure they behave, Naruto," Kakashi remarked. "It's Leaf's territory after all."

Deidara's eyes narrowed. "We're just taking a walk out here, yeah. What's your problem?"

Kakashi's brow rose. "Problem? There's no problem."

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose. This was bizarre.

"Why are you here, Naruto?" Sakura asked, sounding exasperated. "And don't tell me you're here to make small talk. Or to say hi to Itachi and the rest."

"Uh… Sakura-chan. I've got something to tell you." Well aware of her bad mood, Naruto laughed uncomfortably as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But it can wait. I'll tell you later."

Her eyes narrowed. "What is it? Tell me now."

He eyed the rest of the people in the clearing. "But there are others…"

"Now, Naruto!"

He jumped at her uncompromising tone. Well, if she wanted it this way, he would not argue. After all, those three ex-Akatsuki were her friends, and considering the nature of the mission, he guessed that they would find out sooner or later.

"Umm… I spoke to Baa-chan," he began. "She told me to tell you something."

Much to his surprise, Sakura tensed while a look of comprehension crossed her face. She blinked a couple of times, and then sagged visibly, this time looking resigned. And sad. Maybe she had some idea of what was coming.

She sighed heavily. "Naruto, just tell me, okay?"

There was no point putting it off then. Steeling himself, he fixed his eyes on her and adopted what he had come to think as his Hokage tone.

"Haruno Sakura. Konoha has a mission for you."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What mission?"

Was this not what she had expected? Brushing the thought away, he withdrew a mission scroll from his pocket. The words scribbled within was a mere formality, but one of the things he had learnt from all those months under Tsunade tutorage was that paperwork was important, as troublesome as it was.

Tossing the scroll to Sakura, he waited for her to catch it before he continued, "This is your new mission if you choose to accept it. You will be Konoha's informant, a spy. Until further notice, you will be based outside Konoha permanently."

She gaped at him, the scroll hanging limp from her fingers. Naruto flicked a quick glance at the rest of the shinobi. Kakashi did not look too surprised, but there were odd looks on the three ex-Akatsuki's faces. Itachi's crimson eyes had taken on a weird gleam.

Dragging his attention back to the shell-shocked Sakura, Naruto continued, "You will present either a verbal or a written report to the Hokage at least once a month, giving an account of all the information you have collected on the activities of other villages and organizations. And-"

"Somewhat like Jiraiya," Kakashi suddenly interjected, looking amused. "Not a bad thing."

Deciding that he had said enough, Naruto gestured to the scroll. "Well, the details are all in there. You better read it, just in case I forgot to tell you something."

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. It was as if everyone was trying to digest the implications of Sakura's latest mission. Except Sakura herself. She looked as if she was far away, albeit with a disbelieving look still plastered on her face.

And then Kisame stepped towards the still-frozen Sakura. "Kunoichi, you're going to read that or what?"

Deidara smirked. "Better check the small print, yeah. Who knows what else you'll be agreeing to when you take the mission, hm. Especially considering that you'd be traveling with us."

Finally breaking out of her stupor, Sakura spun towards Deidara. "Who said I'm taking the mission?" she shot back. "Or traveling with you?"

Deidara's smirk widened. "Oh. I get it, yeah. You need to… discuss this with Itachi."

Sakura flushed as she darted a quick look at the impassive Uchiha. Wait, were Itachi's lips twitching? Naruto squinted harder at the Uchiha to make sure, but saw nothing except his still features. Then he frowned when Deidara's words sank in. It did not make sense.

Turning to the long-haired blonde, Naruto asked, "Why should she discuss this with Itachi? It's her choice."

A snort came from Kisame, while Kakashi directed his attention somewhere sky-wards. Itachi did not move a muscle, but Naruto could see the amusement lighting his eyes, while Sakura turned her eyes down to inspect her toes.

"Isn't it?" he added hesitantly.

Naruto felt a growing sense of unease. Something was nudging at the back of his mind. Something was telling him that it was something obvious. But for some reason, he could not grasp it. He glanced around again. Whatever it was, the rest of them knew about it.

"Sakura-chan? What's going on?"

* * *

Too many things had happened, and all too quickly.

First was Kakashi's and Naruto's sudden appearance. What was with everyone catching her in the company of the three ex-Akatsuki today? Six months had passed without her getting caught seeing them, and now it had to happen?

Then Naruto had to drop that bombshell of a mission. It was obviously Tsunade's doing, but why did her shishou do such a thing? The mission effectively allowed her to leave Konoha, to live outside with whomever she pleased. It gave her total freedom without betraying Konoha. Something like that was a great honor, a sign of just how much her shishou trusted her.

The mission allowed her to be with Itachi, just the way she had always dreamed of.

She snuck a glance at the Uchiha, only to find him observing her with his usual blank expression. They had never discussed the future, which meant that she did not know what he thought of this development. Would he be happy to have her around indefinitely? She would like to think so, but she did not know if she should make such an assumption.

"Sakura-chan?"

Naruto's voice jolted her out of her contemplations, and she dragged her eyes away from Itachi to look at her friend. His features displayed an odd mix of expressions; concern, confusion and trepidation. Then she recalled his question and she had to fight a wince. Right. Naruto wanted to know what was going on. She supposed it was time to tell him.

"Uh, Naruto…" She paused uncertainly, and then took a deep breath. "I've been seeing Itachi."

"Seeing Itachi?" he echoed, sounding puzzled.

Sakura nodded.

Naruto looked blank for a moment, and then his eyes widened like saucers as comprehension dawned. His tone was incredulous when he cried out, "SEEING Itachi?! As in…" He broke off abruptly, darting a beseeching look at Kakashi. "Really?"

"You heard her, Naruto," the Copy-nin murmured.

Naruto stared, slack-jawed.

"Don't look so surprised, Naruto. It's quite obvious," Kakashi murmured behind his mask.

"OBVIOUS?!"

Deidara snickered, while Kisame chucked. Sakura glared hard at them, willing them to stop, but they simply ignored her. At least Itachi had the sense to remain quiet, she thought as she slanted a glance at the stoic Uchiha.

Eyes still wide in disbelief, Naruto stabbed a finger in her direction. "You…" And then he pointed at Itachi. "And HIM?"

Uncomfortable with Naruto's reaction, Sakura bristled. "Yes, me and him," she hissed. "What's wrong with that?"

"But how-" Naruto paused, blinking as something occurred to him.

She was surprised that he was taking this so well, considering who he was. In fact, she had expected him to protest vehemently, but perhaps he had matured. She had noticed that he often paused to think nowadays, as strange as it was to see sometimes. It should not be surprising, considering he was currently being groomed to be the next Hokage.

Then he gasped. "Wait! Is that why you rejected Sasuke?"

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped in warning before she shot a nervous look at Itachi.

She had not told Itachi about Sasuke's proposals, simply because she did not know how the older Uchiha would take it. And now, from the look Itachi was currently giving her, she knew that she could not remain silent on the matter any longer. Itachi wanted to know what she had been hiding from him. Her suspicions were confirmed a second later.

"Sasuke is pursuing you?" he asked silkily.

She shook her head. "No."

Naruto scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I don't think he has given up yet."

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Is that so?" he murmured silkily.

"I've already told him that I'll never accept his proposal," she bit out tightly.

The hardness in Itachi's eyes bled away, leaving faint traces of male satisfaction. "Hm."

Sakura scowled at his possessiveness.

A loud throat-clearing from Kakashi drew everyone's attention. "Naruto. Let's go."

"Huh? But Tsunade will want to know Sakura's decision about-"

"Later," the Copy-nin interjected calmly. "I'm sure Sakura needs some time to think over it. It is a big decision, isn't it, Sakura?"

Thankful for the temporary reprieve, Sakura quickly nodded. Then turning to Naruto, she said, "I won't take long. I'll let you know by the end of the day."

Naruto looked doubtful, but he nodded anyway. Without another word, he went with Kakashi towards the village. As she watched them leave, she could not help but wonder just what decision she would end up making. Whatever it was, she could not make it alone. It would affect Itachi, after all.

Turning back to the obviously bemused Deidara and Kisame, she narrowed her eyes pointedly. Kisame continued to smirk while Deidara adopted an innocent look.

"What?" the latter asked.

"Don't you have something else to do?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I can't think of anything, yeah."

"He's got a death wish," Kisame muttered.

Sakura felt a vein pop on her forehead. Cracking her knuckles, she took a threatening step towards the blonde. Her movement, however, was halted by a firm grip on her arm. She turned to the side to find Itachi staring at his two comrades.

"Leave," Itachi finally said, in a tone which clearly stated that he would not accept no for an answer.

Kisame nodded. "I'll be at the inn." Then, inclining his head at her, he added, "I'll see you around."

She did not know what to say, so she simply smiled.

Finally relenting to the pressure, Deidara shrugged. "Well, I guess I'd better go as well, yeah."

Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "It's about time."

Deidara grinned just before he turned to walk away. "Make sure you make the right decision, yeah, Sakura."

"I hope I will," she murmured, and then watched as the two of them left, heading away from the hidden village.

Now there were only her and Itachi in the clearing.

* * *

They were finally alone once again, Itachi thought as he gazed at the kunoichi before him.

"Come," he invited.

Without waiting for a response, he leapt into the trees and began to travel eastwards. As the trees sped by around him, the shift of the air behind him told him that she was following. His lips tilted slightly at the recollection of just how many times they had travelled like this when she had still been with them.

And they might do so again.

The Hokage's decree came as a surprise to him, but it was one he welcomed. However, he was uncertain how Sakura felt about it. They had never discussed the possibility of this, mainly because they were simply handling their relationship on a daily basis. But now that the notion had been put forth, he wondered what were her thoughts on it.

Whilst he was aware of just how close she was to him, and how much she loved him, he did not know if she was willing to leave her village. Unlike him, she had formed many attachments as she grew up there. Accepting the mission would mean that she would see them only on rare occasions. Was she willing to accept such a change?

He continued to mull over the latest development as he sped through the trees. After a while, he arrived at the desired destination. The morning sunshine sparkled off the surface of the water, giving it an almost surreal atmosphere. Stopping by the side of the secluded lake, he waited until Sakura reached him before turning around to face her.

Eyes pinned to the view in front of her, she exclaimed in surprise. "I never realized it looks like this in the morning. And I thought it's already beautiful at night."

He nodded, walking till he reached the edge of the water. They had taken walks around this area at night when he had visited her in the past. He knew that she liked this place, and had always been pleased to be there. But today, there was a strange somberness in the air. Slanting a glance to the side, he saw that Sakura had settled down on one of the smooth rocks.

"So," she began, her eyes fixed on the lake. "I have to make a decision.

"Aa."

"What do you think?" she asked quietly.

"It is your choice."

She exhaled loudly, and then turned to frown at him. "You know fully well that if I accept, I'll be traveling with you and the other two. So, the decision affects you as well."

"Indeed."

"Is that all you've got to say?" she asked, sounding irritated.

No. He wanted to demand that she accept the mission so that they would no longer be separated. He wanted to demand that she leave her friends behind to be with him. In fact, he distinctly recall asking her to choose him instead of Konoha six months ago. But she had declined then. And although the situation was different this time, he was not certain of decision she would make.

"Itachi," she prompted. "What do you think?"

"What do you wish to do?"

"To accept the mission, of course." She sighed. "Then I could be with you. All I want is to be with you without betraying Konoha."

Her words brought forth a wash of relief upon him. Then relief quickly turned into shots of elation coursing through him, and yet, his expression remained bland. This time, she was choosing him instead of her life in Konoha.

Shrugging, she continued, "We couldn't really continue sneaking around anyway."

"Hm."

"Do you mind?" she asked in a quiet voice. "I mean, you wouldn't be able to get rid of me then."

He knelt down in front of her, staring at her intently. The foolish girl. "Have I given the impression that I wish to do so?"

When she shook her head slowly, he reached up to cup a hand against the side of her cheek. She nuzzled his palm gently, closing her eyes. His other hand came up to cup the other side, and then he leaned towards her. Their lips met and her fingers gripped his shoulder to pull him closer. For a while, he could feel and taste nothing but her.

When they finally broke apart, he ran his eyes over her flushed cheeks.

"Tell them now," he instructed, impatient to secure the arrangement.

Her passion-glazed eyes stared at him. "Huh?"

"Your decision. That you will accept the mission."

She blinked slowly, and then smiled knowingly. "I won't change my mind, Itachi."

She had better not, he thought inwardly as he stood up, pulling her alone with him.

"Are you happy?" she asked suddenly asked.

He eyed her silently. And then he smiled.

"Yes."

* * *

She had spoken to Tsunade, Kakashi, Shikamaru and Naruto at length after the acceptance of the mission. In fact, she had spent most of the last few days stuck in Tsunade's office, discussing the mission and what was expected of her. She had sighed scrolls after scrolls, declaring her loyalty and everything she was agreeing to by accepting the mission.

Knowing the world of shinobi, although the threat of Madara and the Akatsuki was now gone, it was likely that some other thing would crop up before long. And her task, like Jiraiya's, was to make sure that Konoha received the pertinent information early, so that they were prepared for every eventuality.

Tsunade expected a monthly report from her, detailing everything she had learnt about other villages and the conditions outside in general. She would be paid a small sum by Konoha, though it was understood that the funds from any external missions she completed would be hers alone. These external missions, of course, had to be only those which did not jeopardize the Leaf. Then they had touched upon her choice of company. Tsunade had made it clear that like the missions, she was expected to remain loyal to Konoha no matter what, despite her company.

Tsunade had retained her briskness throughout the last few days, until last night. Drenched in sake, her shishou had admitted that she would be missed. It was a touching moment, one which Sakura would not forget anytime soon.

Patting her small pack, Sakura straightened and glanced around her room, feeling a little sad that she would be leaving it for good. Yesterday, when Naruto had come to pick up her belongings to store them in his place, she could not help but feel like another chapter of her life was over. When she came back to make her reports, she would probably have to stay with one of her friends or at an inn. It would never be the same again.

But she would be out there once more. A small smile crossed her lips as she thought of how she could stretch her skills. Much as she loved her work in the hospital, it was never as challenging as what she had gone through in those two years outside Konoha.

A knock sounded on her front door.

Knowing that it was Ino, Sakura called out, "Come in."

The door creaked open and then shut. A moment later, Ino strode into her room. "All packed?" the blonde asked.

Sakura nodded. "I have to be outside the gates soon. I don't want to hold anyone up."

Ino looked surprised. "The Uchiha and the other two are waiting for you?"

"They are on their way out of Fire Country. So I thought I might as well travel with them."

Arms crossed over her chest, Ino scowled at her. "I still can't believe you didn't tell me about Itachi earlier."

Sakura looked sheepish. "Naruto found out a few days ago, so it was a matter of time before everyone else did as well."

Ino huffed. "Still. You should have told me."

"He's a missing-nin, Ino. I can't tell you something like that. It'll put you in an awkward position."

"It's not like Konoha is planning on arresting him or anything like that."

"Not that I know of," Sakura muttered as she walked to the door. Spinning around to face her small apartment, she let out a sad sigh. "Well, I guess it's time to leave."

"Hey, Forehead."

"Yeah?"

Ino gave her a small smile. "Make sure you come back every month, okay?"

Sakura nodded, and then reached forward to envelop her friend in a tight hug. "If I'm not being held up by something, I'll be back here."

Ino's eyes were suspiciously damp when she pulled away. "Come on, let's go."

With that, they left the apartment and walked out into the streets. As she walked towards the main gates of Konoha, Sakura ran her eyes over the familiar buildings and people, committing them to memory. Perhaps she was being silly about it. After all, it was not as if she could not come back this time, right? In a month, she would set foot in Konoha again.

Then her steps faltered slightly when she heard Naruto's voice in the distance. He was shouting at someone.

"Come on. We're going to miss her!"

His companion muttered something incomprehensible.

Naruto snapped, "What the hell, Teme! Look, don't you at least want to say goodbye or something?"

Sakura scowled. So Naruto was trying to get Sasuke to say goodbye to her. Fat chance of that ever happening. Especially now that she had accepted this mission. They had not spoken about it, but she knew that Sasuke would take it as another rejection and would be suitably sullen.

"Look, it's Naruto and Sasuke," Ino pointed out, gesturing into the distance.

Sakura watched as a grinning Naruto jogged towards her, with an obviously reluctant Sasuke trailing behind.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto hollered as he reached her.

She winced at the volume of his voice. "Naruto."

His eyes went to her small pack. "That's all you're bringing?"

"It's enough. I'm used to traveling light."

Naruto laughed. "Yeah, I almost forgot. You've done this before." He glanced behind him. "Oi! Hurry up, Teme!" And then he gave her a sheepish grin. "You know what he's like."

"Hm," Sakura mumbled noncommittally.

Ino rolled her eyes just as Sasuke reached them. "He's just sore that he's still bound to Konoha while Sakura's free to roam outside." Pinning a pointed look at the Uchiha, she asked sweetly, "Isn't that right, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke gave her a disdainful look, which Ino simply brushed away. It was clear that her blonde friend had gotten over her crush on the Uchiha as well, Sakura thought with an inward smile. At the rate things were going to Sasuke, she wondered just how he was supposed to make sure that he resurrected the clan. Because if he did not, he would remain forever bound within Konoha. Sakura glanced at the bands around his wrists. The bands would make sure of that.

"You are leaving."

She looked back up at him, surprised that he had actually spoken. And then she nodded. "It's a long term mission."

Sasuke's lips thinned slightly. "No doubt you won't be traveling alone."

"Oh, she'll be traveling with Itachi." Naruto laughed, prodding Sasuke with his elbow. "Give it up, Teme. She had already chosen."

The Uchiha glared at the future Hokage. "Shut up, Dobe."

Sighing in resignation, she shook her head slowly. Some things just never changed.

"Sakura! We just heard the news!" a feminine voice called out.

Sakura spun around to see Neji, Lee and Ten Ten heading towards her. Not far behind them were the rest of her friends. Her lips parted in surprise as she waited for them to watch up. She did not expect such a huge crowd to turn up.

One by one, she greeted them warmly.

"I'm not going away for good, you know. This is not like the last time," she said.

Shikamaru nodded. "Less troublesome this time, of course."

"At least we don't have to chase after her," Chouji remarked.

Sakura grinned. "Not as exciting today, huh?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Just make sure you get back here in one piece one month from now."

She accepted hugs from Kurenai, Shino, Kiba, Lee, Neji and even Gai. Sasuke stood slightly apart from them, wearing a disinterested look. Sakura decided to ignore him. Sooner or later, he would get over whatever it was that was bothering him.

Then Hinata stepped forward, extending her hands. Clasping the slender digits, Sakura smiled. "Thanks for coming to see me off."

Pale eyes searched hers. "Be careful out there, Sakura," Hinata advised.

"I will," she said. "Take care of her, Naruto."

Naruto hugged her tight, and she squeezed back. Her eyes stung a little, and she quickly blinked to disguise her emotions before pulling back. Although this time was different from the last time she had left Konoha, it was just as painful.

"You know how to contact me, right?" she asked.

Naruto nodded, looking a little sad. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. You're not the only one who will be making reports. I'll keep you up to date on what's happening back here."

"Make sure you do."

He grinned. "Might as well make use of the wind jutsu you taught me, right?"

Recalling how she had done so when Naruto had asked how she managed to get information back to Tsunade while she was in Akatsuki, Sakura smiled. It was definitely a useful technique.

"Sakura."

Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at his somber expression. Well, what she could see of his exposed face, anyway.

She smiled up at him. "So, you're right after all, sensei."

A single brow rose. "Hm?"

"You know, what you told me before the Akatsuki mission. About how those kinds of missions could change someone inside out?"

Comprehension dawned in his visible eye. "Ah, that."

"And now I'm heading back out there."

"Do you regret it?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head without hesitation. "No."

His eye creased as he smiled. "Good. Now take care of yourself."

At his small push, she began to walk towards the gates. She had barely reached it when a loud voice bellowed, stilling her steps.

"Sakura!"

Sakura turned around to see Tsunade rushing towards her, pushing past her friends. Her eyes widened in surprise. Why was she here when she had declared last night that she wouldn't come?

"Shishou?"

Tsunade's brisk steps halted before her, and shoved something towards her. The impact knocked the breath out of her lungs, even as her hands automatically came up to catch whatever it was that had hit her.

Then Sakura glanced down, and she blinked in confusion.

"That's another task for you while you're out there," Tsunade said.

"Eh?" Sakura peered down at the Bingo book curiously before glancing up at her shishou. Then panic welled up within her as she comprehended what it meant. When she finally found her voice, she protested, "But I don't want to be a hunter-nin!"

Tsunade sighed in exasperation. "I'm not asking you to be one. But while you're out there, keep your eyes open for the missing-nins listed in the books, just those that are not crossed out. It's best to get the right information before I send the hunter-nins out."

Frowning, Sakura dropped her eyes down and began to scan the pages. All those missing-nins wanted by Konoha would be listed in there. As well as her Akatsuki friends.

She gulped, looking up. "Shishou…" she began hesitantly, wondering how she could possibly say no to this addition to the mission without sounding as if she was betraying Konoha.

Tsunade gave her a pointed look. "Study the book carefully before you make any assumptions."

A little baffled by her shishou's words, Sakura shifted her attention back down to the book. She began to flip through it slowly, trying to see what Tsunade meant. When she reached the page with Kisame's picture, she gasped.

There was a black cross over Kisame's picture.

Quickly flipping through the pages, she soon found similar marks on Deidara's and Itachi's pages. What did it mean?

"Shishou?" she ventured uncertainly.

Tsunade shrugged casually. "You're going to travel with them, are you not?"

Sakura thought to protest, but she finally nodded. No point in lying, especially considering that her relationship with them was practically public knowledge amongst her friends.

"They'll probably be involved in anything you do." Tsunade's eyes gleamed. "I checked it out. Those three are quite expensive to hire, you know. So, the way I see it, this makes sure that we get their services for free."

Sakura gaped at her, stunned into speechlessness.

"Now go," Tsunade ordered brusquely. "You're lingering over here too long."

As she walked away, she heard Tsunade bellow, "And the rest of you, don't you have any work to do? GO!"

Chuckling at the sound of her friends scrambling back to their respective jobs, she walked out of the gates. She stopped just outside, at the edge of the forest. Inhaling deeply, her eyes closed, she savored the crisp forest air surrounding her. So this was it, huh? This was the beginning of her new life.

The shift in her surroundings was subtle, but she felt it clearly.

Opening her eyes, she was unsurprised to see Itachi standing a few feet in front of her. A smile tilted her lips. So, he had come to meet her, as he had said he would a few days ago.

"Itachi," she called out as she made her way towards him.

Glad to see him, she reached out to greet him with her usual hug. He responded, but to her surprise, his touch was restrained. Confused, she looked up at him, only to find that his eyes were trained to a spot behind her, towards the Konoha gates. Slowly, she detached herself and turned around.

Only then did she notice that Sasuke was still standing just behind the gates, staring out at Itachi. And Itachi was staring right back. The tension between them was palpable. Uh-oh, Sakura thought worriedly. Was Sasuke's hatred strong enough to allow him to break out of Konoha to attack Itachi? This was not really how she wished to start her mission.

"Um, Itachi?" she began.

To her surprise, keeping his eyes locked on his younger brother, Itachi inclined his head in acknowledgement. Sasuke immediately stiffened. And then, abruptly, he turned and walked away proudly.

Sakura let out the breath she did not realize she was holding. Before she could make sense of what had just happened, Itachi began to walk into the forest, away from Konoha. His movement jolted her into action.

Running up to Itachi, she asked, "What was that all about?"

He stared straight ahead. "Nothing."

She raised a brow. "Nothing? He didn't try to charge at you and you think it was nothing?" she exclaimed incredulously.

Itachi did not respond.

* * *

No, it was not nothing, Itachi admitted silently. No words had been spoken, but the exchange was significant. Sasuke could have issued a verbal threat then, but he had not. Instead, he had simply walked away. It could be considered a turning point, or perhaps, it was simply the end of a chapter in their lives.

"Itachi!"

Sakura's irate voice broke him out of his contemplations, and he stopped. Slanting a sideway glance at her, the corner of his lips tilted slightly. It bemused him how easily she could be riled. Such a thing encouraged one to do so as often as one could.

She crossed her arms over her chest, pinning her uncompromising emerald orbs on him. "What happened back there with Sasuke? And don't tell me it's nothing."

"Perhaps he had decided to stop running after me," he intoned calmly.

"Running after you?" she echoed, confused. "You mean for revenge? I don't get it."

"It is historical."

"Tell me," she pressed.

"We are wasting time, kunoichi."

She glowered at him. "We have plenty of time. We're traveling together now, remember?"

"Indeed."

"So tell me."

"Perhaps another time."

"I'll find out eventually, you know."

Well aware of her persistence, he knew that it was only a matter of time until she did. In the meantime, it would be amusing to see how far she would go to pry the information out of him.

"Enough of Sasuke," he murmured. "Let's go."

Reaching out, he exerted a firm pressure on the small of her back, urging her forward. With a muttered grumble, she began to walk and he followed suit. They could have taken to the trees, but he felt no such urgency. After all, it had been some time since they could simply walk together side by side without the concern that they might be discovered.

Before long, he sensed Kisame and Deidara in the distance. They were waiting together with the carriage, where he had left them just an hour ago. Their next destination was Wave Country, where they would drop off their charge and then pick up a new mission. Although Sakura was supposed to only travel with them, he wondered if she would actively participate in the mission. Something told him that she would only be too happy to do so.

"Kisame and Deidara are close by, aren't they?"

"Aa."

"So, we're heading to Wave Country?"

He nodded.

A pause followed. And then she remarked casually, "You know, since I'm around, I could always help out with your missions."

He stopped at her words, and then glanced down at her to see a pair of emerald orbs staring at him, shining in anticipation.

"If you wish," he responded.

She immediately brightened. "It'll be like old times once again. Don't you think?"

"Indeed."

Slipping her arm into the crook of his elbow, she continued to walk with a bounce in her steps. He could not recall seeing her this carefree, this happy in recent days. The faint shadows that had lurked around her for the past six months were now gone.

A sense of peace washed over him. Something told him that this was how things should be and this was how he wished for things to remain.

With Sakura by his side.

* * *

THE END

* * *

A/N: It is finally over! Thank you all for supporting me through all these months of writing. I'm happy that so many are actually reading this story, considering it is my first attempt at a multichaptered Naruto fic. Your encouragements were crucial in keeping me focused, or else this would never have finished, hehe! I hope you've enjoyed the entirety of the story. There will be no sequel to The Contentious Heart, but my next project is the sequel to The Chance.

:elle6778:


End file.
